Absolutely Beautiful Trip!

Carnival Magic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 63

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Magic

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 02, 2016

Ship: Carnival Magic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10216

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

Spectacular views, very entertaining ship, & excellent staff on the Magic! I'm giving 4/5 stars simply because of the extreme rocking/swaying we had the first 3 nights. Once the rocking calmed down, there was still a definite sway everywhere on the ship, but it was tolerable since we had our ear patches. My children weren't too fond of the water park, because the slides hurt their backs, but still a fun place to hang out to get wet. We couldn't have asked for a better staff, & the cruise director (Dr. E) was outstanding! Dominican Republic was gorgeous. I HIGHLY recommend the day pass to Ocean World with the dolphin encounter. While in St. Thomas we did the Kon Tiki excursion. It was nice. We browsed Puerto Rico & enjoyed looking at their buildings, etc. Grand Turk was stunning, but extremely hot & crowded on the beach. The beach chairs to rent were taken quickly, so I would suggest booking an excursion at this port. 

Definitely a party ship, with upbeat personalities & carefree, relaxed atmosphere. We always felt welcomed & cared for. 

 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Our steward, Gede, was amazing! He treated us as if he'd known us forever. The cabin was always perfect. I didn't care for being at the front of the ship, because of those rough nights of rocking, it enhanced it. But, still a great cabin.

Ship tip

Because you sail for awhile before reaching the first port (& after last port), be prepared for the pools to be really crowded. Oh! Definitely buy a lanyard for your ship card. Makes life so much easier & less worrisome of losing it.

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5
Ocean World is a fantastic place if you have kids.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5
There isn't much to this port unless you do an excursion, or go away from the main area. The Kon Tiki took us to a private beach, & it was nice.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5
Be aware of the shopping stands right by port. This stop has a lot of interesting buildings & roads to walk around & look at.

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5
By far the prettiest water, but not much to do unless you have an excursion. The beach chair rentals sell out super fast, so if you keep walking past the first area, it's less crowded. So pretty here.
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14 Comments

ToddTheCruiser    8 years ago

Mrssn0717. I don't know why people are trying to explain rocking on ship.  You are and adult and do understand.  When I was on Magic in June the seas were calm and the ship barley swayed.  Coming home around the north side of the Bahamas we hit a strong thunderstorm.  The seas stayed calm but since the ship is huge it acts like a big sail.  The storm was extremely windy and it cause the ship to sway and rock.  Glad you had a nice time.

WeCruiseToo    8 years ago

Thanks for the review!

mrssn0717    8 years ago

Thank you, danjean1. 😊  I believe that as well. 

neppy    8 years ago

I understand I sometimes can feel every movement of the ship🤗

mrssn0717    8 years ago

Because I'm an intelligent human, I know rocking can't be fixed when mother nature is involved. However, there was a lot of knocking & noise as well, which also left after the 3rd or 4th night. I don't understand why I'm being criticized for giving my opinion on my experience for my review?? I didn't have anything negative to say about the cruise line itself, & simply stated the downfall of my trip. In fact, I praised Carnival as being the only cruise line I intend on sailing with, as well as, stated how grateful I was for them providing such a beautiful itinerary. I thought the purpose of this forum was to give our reviews & help inform others if need be...not ridicule someone. 

ianhollytrip    8 years ago

They can't fix the rocking, it's called mother nature. Don't you understand that there are waves in the middle of the gulf? It will cause a ship to move. And sometimes, there aren't any waves, this causes no rocking.

mrssn0717    8 years ago

Just want to clarify that I'm not giving the cruise line 4/5, I'm giving my experience 4/5. I have no intention of sailing with anyone other than Carnival, because they are absolutely splendid! The rocking was not normal for such calm waters. We had stuff falling out of our bathroom, & needed to catch ourselves while walking several times the first few nights. I agree with Aprilbs. I think they had to have fixed something, because the trip back was great! I hope to go back to Grand Turk & stay longer. I'm so grateful Carnival provided this itinerary. Amazing for sure.

loosepush7    8 years ago

You are at the mercy of King Neptune when the ships rock and roll 🤓

Aprilbs    8 years ago

No it wasn't normal rocking. It jolted and shook. Seas were calm. When we were docked in St Thomas, something had to get fixed. It was so smooth after that! First several days were like someone didn't know how to drive a manual transmission. It was lurching forward! I actually grabbed the bars in the theatre several times those nights

doddser    8 years ago

Think most slides hurt kids back. Ours still have marks on their backs from last sept. Didn't stop them using them though...

ianhollytrip    8 years ago

So you give Carnival a 4 out of 5 for something that is 100% out of their control? Hmm...

gatoraugustine    8 years ago

Its for sure the slides do hurt their backs.

lostdogg61    8 years ago

Ty for the info we are really pumped and looking forward to going it's our first cruise we will be getting the patches lol thanks again 😎

miltonf447    8 years ago

Sounds like you had a great time. The rocking is not Carnivals fault that is mother nature. Some cruises I've been on are smooth as glass others had waves in the toilet toss of the dice but all are fun. Will be on her in a few months

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