Great cruise, but lacks port diversity

Item: Carnival Magic
Rating: 4
Author: girlygirlsoxfan

Carnival Magic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

girlygirlsoxfan

Contributor Level: Second Mate

13 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 8

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

6 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 21, 2017

Ship: Carnival Magic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: Cove balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

We loved the Magic and we loved the cove balcony stateroom, but unless you want to spend each port-of-call on the beach, this itinerary is not for you. We would have prefered more diverse ports, with options other than just beaches.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

We had YTD and loved it. We asked for the same waiter every evening and we're always accommodated. Never had a bad meal and service was great. Would still like the tablecloths brought back, however. Table was filthy on 2 nights and had to ask for it to be cleaned, which was done immediately, with apologies. This is just one more example of cutbacks affecting basic things, like making sure tables are cleaned properly. Blame is not with crew, but rather with Carnival.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

A lot to choose from. They are what you make of them.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Our cruise director, Dr. E, was hysterical and tireless, and we enjoyed him thoroughly. I never thought a CD would make a difference, but when you get an exceptional one, you realize they absolutely make a difference.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

They need 24/7 children's programs to keep the little darlings out of sight.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our MDR waiter, Christian, was superb, as was out stateroom steward, Aris . We also interacted with customer service and maintenance staff, also exceptional.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Nice ship, one of the few that has cove balconies, which we love, so we would highly recommend the Magic, although among the Dream class ships, our favorite is the Breeze.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

We always have a balcony cabin, but this time we decided to try a cove balcony and we loved it. I thought I wouldn't like being on a lower deck, but it was not an issue for us at all.

Ship tip

Ship and crew - excellent! But do your port homework. Her itineries for 6-day cruises may disappoint the non-beach goers.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

1 out of 5

Grand Turk Island

1 out of 5

Traveler Photos

Dr. E and Cat in the Hat doing the Electric Slide

8 Comments

carmena610 7 years ago

I definately DO NOT AGREE...IVE BEEN IN 4 CRUISES..and you have to explore the islands. Go on shoreexcursioneer.com they are AMAZING. Very reasonable cheapest around and safe excursion company...reputable. Ive used them several times. You gotta do research honey...live a little ...this site is a great source of information as a matter of fact this is who led me to shore excursioneer...THEY ARE AWESOME! Hope this helps...denada...xoxo

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demorgan 7 years ago

Sometimes just walking around in port can be a fun experience

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Feisty1 7 years ago

You don't have to go to the beach everyday. There are numerous options to choose from. Do some research and look at the excursions.

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bubba12 7 years ago

you can pick different things instead of the beach or take a taxi anywhere

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scleister 7 years ago

Ports of call are the places where ship will dock like Grand Turk, Amber Cove etc. I sailed Magic in April & had 4 ports of call. All were beaches except one being San Juan.

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amber824 7 years ago

My cruise will be the western carribean cruise, if that matters.

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amber824 7 years ago

What do you mean? I have a cove balcony and this will be our first cruise. Could you explain what "port of call" means and wanting more options?

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sheenbean523 7 years ago

which itinerary was it

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Other reviews of this sailing

Name says it all

Dining

Not that great