What's your favorite thing about the Magic?

[havanadaydreaming]

I love hearing diverse opinions about cruise ships before we sail on them. 

 

There are things I love about every cruise line I've sailed and each ship in particular.  My first cruise ever was on the Breeze early this decade, before it had Alchemy.  My second cruise was on a smaller Carnival ship that had an Alchemy - my wife, a decades long cruiser, immediately fell in love with that bar.  I think it's her favorite thing about Carnival currently.  One of my favorite things on any cruise line is attending the art auctions on sea days...I'm FASCINATED by how much some people buy/spend and what they select. 

 

What's your favorite thing on the Magic? 

[Shaded Lady]

The Spa on Magic... we had a spa balcony and it was really convenient and so relaxing!

[PhillyFan33579]

If I had to pick one thing it would be the thalassotherapy pool. 

[jbethel11]

I just realized that the Dream (sister ship) started her constructed a decade (10 years) ago! Time flies!

Edited May 23, 2019 by jbethel11
Edit*

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, jbethel11 said:

I just realized that the Dream (sister ship) started her constructed a decade (10 years) ago! Time flies!

 

Did you mean a different ship?  Dream started cruising in 2009, so she was beyond the construction phase 10 years ago. 

Edited May 23, 2019 by PhillyFan33579

[Momma1980]

Following!

[hard_eight]

Alchemy totally

 

Getting on her in 9 days, 19 hours, 50 minutes!

[pinacoladasatpianobar]

The speedy service of EVERYTHING!! We just got off Magic. Last year, we cruised on Horizon's inaugural U.S. sailing out of NY and everything was SLOW. Getting off at the only port (Bermuda) took FOREVER. Crows everywhere on every floor. On Magic, we arrived and were able to disembark ports earlier than anticipated. There was no line to get on or off the ship. I cannot tell you how big of a difference disembarkation/embarkation was! The workers just wanted to get you on/off without the lines. It was great!

[PhillyFan33579]

Can I change my answer?  My favorite thing about Magic is it was the last ship designed by Joe Farcus, so it was the last ship with a “personality”.  To me Breeze. Vista and Horizon are all pretty much the same and lack the character of previous Carnival ships.  

[Butterbean1000]

Thermal suite, definitely. 

[jbethel11]

15 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Did you mean a different ship?  Dream started cruising in 2009, so she was beyond the construction phase 10 years ago. 

1

Sorry, I meant to say Carnival Dream launched. 

[cruzeluver]

The open, wrap-around deck. Loved evening walks all the way around the ship.

[Momma1980]

For those of you that have loved the Thalasso pool / Cloud 9 spa...

 

Do you leave your cabin in a bathing suit and head to the spa? Do you cover up with the Carnival robes? Should I expect a bunch of naked people in the steam rooms?   What do most people in spa cabins wear when they go from cabin to spa and back? Protect your feet from shower fungus with shoes/shower sandals or just go barefoot? 

 

If if you bring a bag with you to the spa...where do you put it? Are there hooks everywhere?  How well do Carnival staff do at keeping ‘non-spa’ cruisers out of the spa area?  Do I need to worry about securing my bag somewhere? How convenient are the lockers? 

 

Are Elemis quality products available for spa cabin occupants in the spa showers?  Can I get extras from the cabin steward or are we limited to the samples they put in the spa cabins at the start of the cruise?

 

I realize that is overkill on the questions... but I will ask them all in hopes of getting answers to some.  Many thanks in advance for any insight!

[mmb3124]

Deck 5, the external promenade / lanai. Love it on both Dream and Vista classes. For a couple reasons.

 

First, I'm a jogger. As long as you get up early enough & you're not "bothering" folks, the staff doesn't mind if you use deck 5 as your "track." Much longer (thus, less laps), and (with the exception of looping around the bow) there are dividers which give a nice wind break. Can't quite do a full loop on the Vista class (due to the Havana area), but it's still a HUGE improve over the short, exposed track, high on the ship.

 

Second, for those of us who don't like the pool & sun all that much, it's also an awesome area....still outdoors...to sit & read, have a beer, etc.. Wish the Dream class did had more comfy furniture out there, though. That's one thing that I really loved about the Vista class. TONS of comfortable, covered seating on the external lanai.

[five.]

Another vote for lanai. I do love the thalassotherapy pool, but that is like 60 minutes a day at most. Lanai for me is like 6+ hours a day. My wife is prone to sunburn, so shade is a must. Because it goes around the ship, we are always in the shade. When the sun shifts, we just move to the other side. And there are hot tubs on both sides. I spend most of my cruise reading. So I post up in a lounger near a hot tub and periodically take a dip. Relatively less crowded, especially early in the week, when most people haven't discovered this hidden gem. There is BBQ on that level on sea days. They also have sandwiches on that level. But I'm a sucker for Blue Iguana, so I usually head up for lunch.

 

And if you are into walking or running, as mmb said, it's an excellent place to get your mileage in. Much easier than the tiny track or putting up with a dreadmill.

[Butterbean1000]

1 hour ago, Momma1980 said:

For those of you that have loved the Thalasso pool / Cloud 9 spa...

 

Do you leave your cabin in a bathing suit and head to the spa? Do you cover up with the Carnival robes? Should I expect a bunch of naked people in the steam rooms?   What do most people in spa cabins wear when they go from cabin to spa and back? Protect your feet from shower fungus with shoes/shower sandals or just go barefoot? 

 

If if you bring a bag with you to the spa...where do you put it? Are there hooks everywhere?  How well do Carnival staff do at keeping ‘non-spa’ cruisers out of the spa area?  Do I need to worry about securing my bag somewhere? How convenient are the lockers? 

 

Are Elemis quality products available for spa cabin occupants in the spa showers?  Can I get extras from the cabin steward or are we limited to the samples they put in the spa cabins at the start of the cruise?

 

I realize that is overkill on the questions... but I will ask them all in hopes of getting answers to some.  Many thanks in advance for any insight!

We wear our bathing suits and a cover up and flip flops. We Have a spa cabin for our next cruise so we'll probably wear bathrobe with suit under, of course. There are lockers. You will be given a colored wrist band for access to thermal suites. You take your own shower products with you to the showers. 

Edited May 24, 2019 by Butterbean1000

[dctravel]

I love the Red Frog Pub and its location as an oasis in the middle of all of the Deck 5 hubbub. Also love the water slides. My kids and I can go up and down those slides for hours on a sea day. Looking out to the horizon from way up there is pretty cool.

[tea4ular]

1. It’s a ship at sea

2. The Cloud 9 spa

 

 

[MightyMike]

We were on Carnival Magic three years ago so things may have changed.

 

We liked the comedy club. We liked how they matched us with two other similar small families for dinner. We like the cove balcony.

 

We didn't like the lines. We didn't like how unruly teenagers completely took over parts of the ship. Customs and immigration were unusually slow when we left

 

While making up a room once per day works for us in a hotel, it helps to have it made up twice per day on a ship. There are three of us and we have to utilize the sofa bed. It's nice to have it as a sofa during the day and a bed only at night.

 

We are looking to cruise again on the Magic or one of her sisters. However, nothing really had a "wow" factor for us. It was a good cruise and a good ship, but nothing was really that memorable. We are leaning toward Royal Caribbean because of their surf simulators, skydiving simulators, ice rink, bumper cars, etc. 

[SRQbeachgirl]

Too many things to love about the Magic to choose just one...

 

Cloud 9 Spa (Love those heated loungers!)

The Promenade deck, especially for an after-dinner stroll

The Panorama deck above the main pool - nice chairs with ottomans - great place to watch the Dive-In movies

 

Best of all, it feels like a ship, rather than a floating amusement park. I like actually feeling like I'm at sea when I'm at sea.