Tell me about the Magic

[maxandmolly]

We are booked to sail in the Magic 5/1 out of Port Canaveral. Most of my cruises have been on Fantasy class ships (I can’t remember what ship we were in god our honeymoon but it did have a steakhouse). What’s different besides the pax capacity?  What is the Serenity area like?  On Fantasy ships it’s little more than after thought. What should we absolutely do?  We have the steakhouse reserved but other than that what do we need to try?  I know nothing about this class of ship other than what I’ve seen on the deck plans!

[firefly333]

Dream class has the best spa cabins.

 

It will have movies under the stars at night. 

 

I love magic, maybe my favorite. Spa areas always have chair hogging so  it my favorite on carnival. 

 

Should have bbq on deck 5 .only on seadays and when you board. Not open port days.

 

Try the white pizza my favorite. .

 

I'm probably no help. I did breeze her sister 5 cruises ago and people get mad I dont remember specifics like where the italian is. Upstairs from back of buffet I think. $15 pp and might be better than chops. Tomahawk pork chop and fingerling potatoes. I tend to think in terms of food lol.

 

Lol and the coffee shop. 

 

I did vista just a month before and ships run together but I'd pick magic over vista class. Nice feel to that size.

[cmukid87]

Magic is my favorite.  Words of wisdom that the comedy shows will fill up fast.  Alchemy bar is great and Guys BBQ/Smokehouse is a pretty nice lunch treat. Ocean plaza is a lot of fun when they have live music and I can't get enough accoustic and karaoke at Red Frog Pub.

[ninjacat123]

We were on Magic Sept 2021. Serenity is a bit small compared to MG but we always found a clamshell.  Bigger than Fantasy class.  DH and I found the MDR food not up to Carnival's standards although service was great.  We had dinner at Cucina del Capitano and it was good.  Steakhouse was good.  

The spa was very relaxing and my DH loved the bubbly pool there.  I enjoyed the heated tile chairs.  We had a cruise-long couples pass. Overall we enjoyed Magic and we have another cruise on Magic Jan 2023.

Have a great cruise!!

[maxandmolly]

Thanks all!

 

BTW, how much was the spa pass?

[carefree20]

12 minutes ago, maxandmolly said:

Thanks all!

 

BTW, how much was the spa pass?

I saw on the site that an 8-day couples spa pass was $249. Happy Cruising!

[maxandmolly]

We’re on the 6 day cruise so it would be less but that’s still out of range for what I’d be willing to pay. Oh well!

[vamartha]

Any of the three Dream class ships are wonderful! The Magic is roomy without being Mardi Gras roomy (and I'm still not so sure how roomy that ship is gonna be at 100% capacity, Magic is fine at 100% capacity!)

 

She is sparkly without being overly garish. Lido is the center of activity on Sea days but is easy to view without being in the center of all of it from the Panorama decks, both in and out of the sun.

 

Serenity is nice and adequate. Both side of the ship, up front and up high. I do

to tend to like it better at the aft of the ship instead, sort of cuts down on the wind.

 

Visit the Pasta restaurant for lunch. Free and sometimes easy to miss as it is upstairs from the Lido. And it is wonderful for dinner as well, with a very decent upcharge. (I think it is still $15 and I think it is worth it).

 

All of the Dream Class ships are fairly easy to navigate. They all make good use of space and handle passengers well. Lido might get a bit clogged right as it opens on Sea Days but it usually moves fairly well. And there are other options also, like Guys and Blue Iguana which are right outside. 

 

Even after sailing Mardi Gras twice I plan to move back to the Dream Class, its still my favorite. If you have never been on anything larger than Fantasy class, you are in for a treat!

[ninjacat123]

41 minutes ago, maxandmolly said:

Thanks all!

 

BTW, how much was the spa pass?

We were on a 5 day cruise and I think it was $169 for the couples pass.  The cost has definitely gone up it seems! 

[Bananas27]

My favorite ship!  I'm sailing on it again April 23rd.  The layout is perfect.  The atrium at night is so fun.  Head there after dinner to dance, etc.  I stay on the Lido deck.  It's suprisingly quiet and close to all the action.  The pool on the back is great as well and the pizza back there is amazing.  Deck 5 outside is another fun place to hang out.  Great bands play there at night inside. 

 

I get up early and hit the gym and track for a few hours and then have a bloody mary and head to the Juevos Rancheros on the Lido.  

 

You will love it!

[linbobky]

I don,t know what happened but will try it again. we will be on the magic tomorrow. will let you know some things when we get back. it is a 8 day going to aruba.

Edited February 25, 2022 by linbobky
i screwed up.

[MardiGras10022021]

On the top of the page under the search area, type in Carnival Magic. Lotes of good pics.  ENJOY your cruise. 

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Does anyone know if for Bingo they have the i-pads available on the Magic.

[Joe817]

2 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Does anyone know if for Bingo they have the i-pads available on the Magic.

Not on the Vista when we played Bingo. 

[Pellaz]

We liked the Magic so much we sailed it twice, two years in a row.  Love the outdoor "lanai" style decks that bring you closer to the water.  On some ships (lookin' at YOU, Royal) it's easy to forget you're on the ocean, but Carnival and NCL's new-builds have added lots of outside space lower down. 

 

There's a nifty elevator in the front that takes you from Serenity down to the Spa area, which was handy for bathroom needs or (in my case) randomly exploring the spa.   🙂 

 

If you like Asian stir-fry, don't forget about Mongolian Wok on the Magic.  Get there a little early or be prepared for a long line, but IMO it's worth the wait for fresh-cooked stir-fry to your order.  (Full disclosure:  I'm a Mongolian BBQ/hibachi stir-fry FIEND. 😄 )  

 

You'll have LOTS of choices for free/included lunch, many more than on Fantasy-class.  

 

The ship IS designed more for outdoor activities, so pray for good weather, especially on your sea-days.  

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 2/27/2022 at 3:37 PM, Pellaz said:

We liked the Magic so much we sailed it twice, two years in a row.  Love the outdoor "lanai" style decks that bring you closer to the water.  On some ships (lookin' at YOU, Royal) it's easy to forget you're on the ocean, but Carnival and NCL's new-builds have added lots of outside space lower down. 

 

There's a nifty elevator in the front that takes you from Serenity down to the Spa area, which was handy for bathroom needs or (in my case) randomly exploring the spa.   🙂 

 

If you like Asian stir-fry, don't forget about Mongolian Wok on the Magic.  Get there a little early or be prepared for a long line, but IMO it's worth the wait for fresh-cooked stir-fry to your order.  (Full disclosure:  I'm a Mongolian BBQ/hibachi stir-fry FIEND. 😄 )  

 

You'll have LOTS of choices for free/included lunch, many more than on Fantasy-class.  

 

The ship IS designed more for outdoor activities, so pray for good weather, especially on your sea-days.  

Mongolian Wok, my wife's favorite. Still wanting to know if they use the ipad type for Bongo. In addition to the paper cards?

[maxandmolly]

Thank you all!  I’m really looking forward to our 6 day cruise to HMC, Grand Turk & Amber Cove. We have a Lido interior. 

[ninjacat123]

19 minutes ago, maxandmolly said:

Thank you all!  I’m really looking forward to our 6 day cruise to HMC, Grand Turk & Amber Cove. We have a Lido interior. 

Our favorite place on GT is Jack's Shack.  Tasty jerk chicken, yummy drinks and a great beach vibe!

[maxandmolly]

3 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Our favorite place on GT is Jack's Shack.  Tasty jerk chicken, yummy drinks and a great beach vibe!

Good to know!  We don’t have an excursion planned that day. 

[Gypsywych]

2 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Mongolian Wok, my wife's favorite. Still wanting to know if they use the ipad type for Bongo. In addition to the paper cards?

No, no i-pads for Bingo.  You can however spend $48 for a collectible dauber and a 9 card x 3 game sheet package.  

 

[ninjacat123]

10 minutes ago, maxandmolly said:

Good to know!  We don’t have an excursion planned that day. 

We try to get off ship as soon as possible so we can get a table on the beach with an umbrella.  That way we are not needing to spend money on loungers, but it's available if you want them.

[Terab85]

On 2/25/2022 at 10:50 AM, maxandmolly said:

We are booked to sail in the Magic 5/1 out of Port Canaveral. Most of my cruises have been on Fantasy class ships (I can’t remember what ship we were in god our honeymoon but it did have a steakhouse). What’s different besides the pax capacity?  What is the Serenity area like?  On Fantasy ships it’s little more than after thought. What should we absolutely do?  We have the steakhouse reserved but other than that what do we need to try?  I know nothing about this class of ship other than what I’ve seen on the deck plans!

We're on the same cruise.  We sailed on the Magic in 2017 and it was one of our favorites.  Just big enough.  Cucina does lunch but they also do a great dinner for $15.  Totally worth it if you like Italian food.  We loved the Serenity on it.  Much better than on the Horizon which we thought was cramp.

[turquoise89]

On 2/25/2022 at 10:50 AM, maxandmolly said:

We are booked to sail in the Magic 5/1 out of Port Canaveral. Most of my cruises have been on Fantasy class ships (I can’t remember what ship we were in god our honeymoon but it did have a steakhouse). What’s different besides the pax capacity?  What is the Serenity area like?  On Fantasy ships it’s little more than after thought. What should we absolutely do?  We have the steakhouse reserved but other than that what do we need to try?  I know nothing about this class of ship other than what I’ve seen on the deck plans!

We just cruised on her at the beginning of January, and I've booked another trip in June to take the kids! We loved this ship! I'm curious to see how much more crowded it is for this trip. 

Unfortunately, all the show performers got sick or had to quarantine before our cruise started so there wasn't much nightly entertainment. They scrambled together a few comedians and the CD was great (Andy) but he's no longer on magic. We really enjoyed the newlywed game and deal or no deal. 

The serenity deck is ok.. there's a hot tub on each side but they were usually full and it was cold and windy up there most of the trip so we didn't really use it. The elevator from serenity to the spa was convenient for traveling to the bathroom (as someone else mentioned).

They have 2 waterslides that are really fast and fun (even for adults), but my favorite is the tides (back) pool, bar, and pizza (its amazing)! We spend most of our time there.. just make sure you get out there early if you want a lounge chair.

The blue iguana bar was closed our whole trip so the red frog bar was always very crowded.. and we didn't use the middle pool much. Guy's burgers are always good (all the toppings!) and I like the blue iguana breakfast burritos. If you want chips and salsa, you'll have to bring your own tortilla chips (I'm going to this time).

We had the italian restaurant for lunch one day and tried the dinner one night for our anniversary. I wasn't impressed with the dinner but they were short staffed so it may be better when you go.. our waiter never came back to the table after we placed our order.

Deck 5 has comedy club/karaoke, steakhouse, piano bar (it was always really stinky for some reason so we didnt go in there haha), nightclub, coffee bar/pastries, red frog pub ($3 appetizers!), guy's bbq is outside, alchemy bar, ocean plaza (music & trivia), sushi (we ate it almost every single day), casino. We spent a lot of time there since it was January and kind of cold to be outside all the time.

It's a great ship. You won't be disappointed. Amber Cove is probably my favorite place! It's so beautiful. Make sure you're outside when the ship is pulling in to see the mountains and landscape. It is breathtaking. HMC was great too for relaxing but it rained pretty much all day. They didn't let us port at grand turk so I don't have an opinion on it 😔

We had a regular balcony last time that was directly above guy's bbq but I booked a cove balcony this time. I think it'll nice to be right above the water! Also secretly hoping they offer us a suite upgrade 😉

 

[ninjacat123]

10 minutes ago, turquoise89 said:

We just cruised on her at the beginning of January, and I've booked another trip in June to take the kids! We loved this ship! I'm curious to see how much more crowded it is for this trip. 

Unfortunately, all the show performers got sick or had to quarantine before our cruise started so there wasn't much nightly entertainment. They scrambled together a few comedians and the CD was great (Andy) but he's no longer on magic. We really enjoyed the newlywed game and deal or no deal. 

The serenity deck is ok.. there's a hot tub on each side but they were usually full and it was cold and windy up there most of the trip so we didn't really use it. The elevator from serenity to the spa was convenient for traveling to the bathroom (as someone else mentioned).

They have 2 waterslides that are really fast and fun (even for adults), but my favorite is the tides (back) pool, bar, and pizza (its amazing)! We spend most of our time there.. just make sure you get out there early if you want a lounge chair.

The blue iguana bar was closed our whole trip so the red frog bar was always very crowded.. and we didn't use the middle pool much. Guy's burgers are always good (all the toppings!) and I like the blue iguana breakfast burritos. If you want chips and salsa, you'll have to bring your own tortilla chips (I'm going to this time).

We had the italian restaurant for lunch one day and tried the dinner one night for our anniversary. I wasn't impressed with the dinner but they were short staffed so it may be better when you go.. our waiter never came back to the table after we placed our order.

Deck 5 has comedy club/karaoke, steakhouse, piano bar (it was always really stinky for some reason so we didnt go in there haha), nightclub, coffee bar/pastries, red frog pub ($3 appetizers!), guy's bbq is outside, alchemy bar, ocean plaza (music & trivia), sushi (we ate it almost every single day), casino. We spent a lot of time there since it was January and kind of cold to be outside all the time.

It's a great ship. You won't be disappointed. Amber Cove is probably my favorite place! It's so beautiful. Make sure you're outside when the ship is pulling in to see the mountains and landscape. It is breathtaking. HMC was great too for relaxing but it rained pretty much all day. They didn't let us port at grand turk so I don't have an opinion on it 😔

We had a regular balcony last time that was directly above guy's bbq but I booked a cove balcony this time. I think it'll nice to be right above the water! Also secretly hoping they offer us a suite upgrade 😉

 

Great review!  We had a cove on Breeze and we saw flying fish and it was very impressive being so close to the water.  DH an I will be on Magic next January for an 8 day including St Thomas.  So excited!!

Edited March 3, 2022 by ninjacat123

[Clearwater]

Yah! thanks for posting. We leave in 17 days and I can't wait. First cruise in a couple years and desperate for some downtime. 

 

This is my first time on the Magic and I have been doing some digging.  

 

We have the steakhouse booked one night and the couple spa pass.  We both love comedy so hoping we can get in the shows each night.