A bit disillusioned

Carnival Magic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

3.4 out of 5
Carnival Magic

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 15, 2018

Ship: Carnival Magic

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Our first cruise and already looking into a nonsmoking, higher end cruise. If you want too much drinking, too much smoking and a lot of eating? This cruise is for you. This cruise was suggested for a "first time" experience and what an experience it was. Good and Bad. The Good- the crew. Very friendly, helpful and will go out of their way for you. I don't think I met a single crew member with a bad attitude. I did hear things from other cruisers that they are underpaid and work long hours and Carnival is apparently allowed to get away with that bc they are foreign. That did not sit well with me. These kids worked around the clock. The ship was spotless!! Even when they were dealing with rude passengers, passengers throwing trash all over the place...they did their jobs with a smile. The Balcony room- the bed was very comfortable and the room was clean. The bathroom served its purpose and was cleaned daily. Our Steward Princz was very friendly and stopped in our first night to make sure we didn't have any concerns. It was nice to know we had a person to contact. Smoking- Smoking should be forbidden inside the ship. you could smell the smoke from Decks 4-6. It made indoor activities unbearable, especially on Deck 5. They held activities during the day in one of the rooms on Deck 5 and it was disgusting sitting there trying to enjoy with the stench of smoke lingering around the room. Design a room with a vacuum on the top deck, sealed so people can smoke and it won't interfere with others. It is a huge drawback and I will not cruise on Magic again for this reason. Even walking around the outside decks...trying to find clean air space was difficult. Something to consider. Excursions- we only chose 1 excursion and I was disappointed and alarmed. We stopped in Amber Cove and took a bus tour around the city. Sadly, DR is very poor and at first I felt good about possibly spending money in such a poverty stricken area- but was alarmed by the police presence we had at each stop we made. I was happy they were there...but if 3-4 armed officers are needed inside the city area, then we should not be touring the city!! We saw the Rum Factory- and they were not the friendliest of people...cant say I blame them with the low class people on our bus trip. Carnival may want to reconsider tours outside the city and not make the excursion sound so exciting in their brochures. If you want a booze cruise with obnoxious people....this is the cruise for you. I don't know how the crew deals with some of the people sailing. Rude, demanding and gluttonous. The entertainment and shows were well done and were a lot of fun. That was a bonus. We did enjoy our stops in San Juan and Saint Thomas...but beware...it is very very hot in these places.. make sure you bring plenty of water bc you will become dehydrated. I made that mistake.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Beware of smoking on Deck 5

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

3 out of 5

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

1 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

3 out of 5

San Juan, Puerto Rico

4 out of 5

Grand Turk Island

1 out of 5

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 40

21 Comments

dwkcruiser    6 years ago

After 3 cruises,the Casino is the only area i have an issue with smoke.Therefore i rarely go around there,problem solved.Plenty of other areas on the ship for non-smokers.

BudDLuv    6 years ago

You are entitled to your opinion. It seems that a more conservative environment is conducive to your likes in cruising. We've cruised several times on the conservative atmosphere cruises after switching away from Carnival. We however came back to Carnival due to it having a better atmosphere for our liking. We also always have concerns of the smoke filled indoor areas. It would definitely help if the ships had a better ventilation systems for indoor areas where smoking is allowed it maybe only allow for smoking in the outside upper most deck. You must also keep in mind that a cruiseship is a vacation, and your home away from home while on vacation. So all is entitled to that. Me being a retired Public Utilities Customer Service Mgr. I like having fun on the cruises. And everyone is entitled to fun and some relaxation on a cruise-cation. Wish your well on your future cruising. Cruising is a beautiful experience.

jennydeer74    6 years ago

We also were not impacted by smoke in the slightest. There are a few designated places and the casino and never bothered us at all. Also, the ship is so big there are always plenty of places to find some quiet. Open chairs were all around the decks, just not at the pool during sea days.

jennydeer74    6 years ago

I firmly believe that everyone experiences different vacations in different ways and it is what you make it. Your experience wasn't up to your liking while others have wonderful experiences. Both are valid. However, I do feel you didn't need to be rude in labeling Carnival cruisers "obnoxious" and "low class" people. You complained about rude people on the ship and then turned around and did the same thing. We don't drink or smoke and had the time of our lives on our 7 day cruise on the Magic. We're going again in 2020. We never experienced rude people or drunks except one drunk person in the muster drill. I believe Carnival has moved away (unless you're on a short 3 or 4 day cruise) from the stigma of "party ships." You also should realize that Carnival has to meat industry regulations when it comes to employement and wages. Every ship will have crew from other countries. That and their wages is in no way, shape or form unique to Carnival. The crew work their tails off, as you stated, and the work off tips for the most part. I hope you can find a cruise line you enjoy, but nothing is perfect. Best of luck to you!

terriesanchez    6 years ago

We loved the Magic as well. I don't think it is fair to judge everyone on the cruise based on the actions of a few!

Spectre    6 years ago

I agree with some of the smoke issues but I loved the Magic .

jenn2831    6 years ago

As a devoted carnival cruiser ur review is just offensive. U classified it as a “booze cruise with obnoxious people”. Pretty broad statement. And ur acting like u we’re chocking on smoke good gief what a drama queen. The Magic is an awesome ship. There r those that violate the smoking rules and thats not appreciated (and i am a smoker) there r those who over indulge in alcohol and become obnoxious....again not appreciated but thats hardly everyone. Sounds like cruising is not for u bc u did not seem happy with anything

2CruznBums    6 years ago

Don't all cruises offer an abundance of food where ppl are "gluttonous"? Just sayin..

davidc1962    6 years ago

If you don’t like the heat, cruise to Alaska.

Shh813    6 years ago

If you don't like the heat, don't cruise in the summer.

juliemike    6 years ago

jodi74    6 years ago

I don't smoke but there our lots of toxins in my everyday breathing at home, being on a cruise I'm sure is cleaner air than I get on a daily basis!

sopha    6 years ago

I hate the smoke too, but I love carnival. You just have to know when to cruise and what areas to avoid.

cathijo    6 years ago

I think cruising may not be the best vacation choice for you. If you do choose to try again, you should try something like Cunard but expect to pay A LOT more.

mark71mark    6 years ago

And when @almtsbb says smoking is outside, that means only in a few specific, designated areas, not just anywhere outside (and not on your veranda either).

almtsbb    6 years ago

Celebrity and Cunard do not allow smoking in the casino. All smoking is outside or Cunard has cigar lounges. 22 day on Queen Elizabeth never smell smoke.

bbarnett    6 years ago

Definitely agree with the smoking comments. We've been on the Valor and Magic and both were the same.

MrsRJ811    6 years ago

Good luck finding a cruise that doesn't allow smoking. I hate the smell as well, however I knew the areas to avoid. I've sailed the Magic twice and I've never had a single issue with passengers not the staff. Everyone was friendly and seemed to be having a great time. I'm curious as to when you sailed since your profile list zero cruises.

TXatsea    6 years ago

Excellent, well written review, and I agree with basically everything you mentioned.

mark71mark    6 years ago

Your review was sad to read, but not unexpected. I believe they proudly call those fun ships the “Carnival Experience”. Too bad you didn’t first Google “Wal-Mart of cruising”, as you might have then made other arrangements. Now you know!!!

davidnlisa    6 years ago

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