Least relaxing vacation ever...

Item: Carnival Magic
Rating: 3.3
Author: alisch3

Carnival Magic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

alisch3

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 50

Overall rating:

3.3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 03, 2019

Ship: Carnival Magic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6250

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

My husband and I took this cruise in hopes of a low stress, minimal effort, rest filled vacation. What we got was the opposite. We arrived on the ship and entered our room to the disappointment of a walkway directly beneath our balcony. Past cruises our balconies have always been right over the water, and while booking there was no mention of this. We were a little bummed but were excited to be on our way. Then the shows, performance rehearsals, and two performances a day started. Unbeknownst to us, our room was directly above the main stage. The sound insulation on this ship is non existent. (Between rooms as well) This wasn't just muffled music and bass. You could hear EVERYTHING three times a day, and the bass vibrations were unreal. The first night my husband went to guest services and asked if they had any other rooms, they did not and we were given ear plugs and were told that they'd open a complaint. It is so loud and so bass heavy that you could still hear it through the earplugs. I don't understand how they continue to book these rooms. We always reserve balconies because while we enjoy the cruise amenities, we enjoy resting, enjoying the ocean and having the extra space in our room. Perhaps if you are a cruiser who is in your room very minimally this room is for you. But we like to have experiences, do excursions and many of those are early. It is difficult to head to bed early when you have a 45 minute+ performance at 9:30 pm every night. I personally enjoy the shows as well, but when you've already heard the whole thing, sometimes twice depending on when we went to dinner, the joy in going is removed. We enjoyed our excursions as well, but it would have been nice to not be so tired. We have now been home for 5 days and are still recovering, but not in a good way. Guest Services seemed to care for the first half of the cruise as we continued to complain, but you could tell there was nothing they could do. On the 5th day we had a note left for us asking to come to guest services, and they offered something from the shops...not sure how that's helpful, and we declined. After that they seemed irritated that we hadn't accepted the bribe of Carnival gear and made a point of telling us that there were 4 pages of complaints documented. Not sure what they were writing since we didn't go down every night. Bottom line, booking through AA is fine, Carnival Magic is fine, but do your own research and don't think the $25 fee you're paying to makes them your actual travel agent. I feel like a real travel agent would give a warning about room location.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Relatively quick and painless

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food was fine, as fresh as can be expected. The breakfast in the dining room (NOT sea day brunch) was the best food in my opinion.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Sports/games area was fun. Pool, ping pong, ropes course, water slide.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

The stage shows were fine, but since we had the pleasure of hearing each and every sound prior to actually attending the show, they were old news. DJs and musicians were great.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Dining service was the slowest and most lackluster I've ever experienced on a cruise. Particularly in Cucina Capitano, which we paid extra for.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

I'm not really sure why someone would design a ship with such poor insulation above their stage area and then proceed to sell the rooms above that area not at a HEAVY discount and without a disclaimer. We could hear EVERY single word said, not just by performers but by hosts. Every note, the bass was awful, vibrated the whole room.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

The size, cleanliness, were all fine. But I feel like it should be noted that there is a walk-way directly beneath your balcony. Other balconies I've stayed on overlook only the ocean. I understand that it part of the ships design, but it should be noted since people can stare right at you while you sit on your balcony trying to relax. The main issue with this cabin is the NOISE. There was a rehearsal, a 7:30 performance, and a 9:30 performance that overtook the room every single day. Forget napping after a day of excursions and sun, forget heading to bed early because you have an excursion that leaves at 7:00am. Plus side is, you don't actually need to head down to the performances because you've already heard them twice before you're ready to go watch. There was nothing guest services could do besides give us ear plugs. We contemplated sleeping on the balcony but were told we couldn't do that, and as I mentioned before, people would have been able to see us. Aside from the stage noise, this is also just the loudest ship I've been on. Doors slamming, people walking. And I have to just add, sound doesn't normally bother me or my husband. We're pretty chill, relaxed individuals but it was unbearable and we returned home EXHAUSTED. There needs to be a disclaimer on this room (like the "obstructed view" disclaimer) and it needs to be discounted unless there are people who truly enjoy 3 in room performances per day or plan to never be in their room.

Ship tip

Least favorite ship I've been on, do research since American Airlines isn't going to do it for you.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

4 out of 5

No excursion but explored on our own. Lots of fun.

Thumbs Up 5

George Town, Grand Cayman

5 out of 5

Beautiful water, white sand. We did the Kayaking and Sting Ray City. We were exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before due to pounding bass until 10:30 pm. And report time for the excursion was at 7:15am. But we muddled through and still enjoyed the experience because hey, it's vacation right?

Thumbs Up 5

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

Catamaran and Snorkel was lovely. Jolly Roger Catamaran is great company.

Thumbs Up 3

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

Lovely experience visiting the Lamanai ruins. This excursion also had 7:30 am report time, and again we were kept up by performance bass, but the excursion it self was amazing. Would have been nice to be well rested to enjoy more fully.

Thumbs Up 3

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Spent the day at Aquarium beach, not an excursion through cruise line as we were thoroughly exhausted by this point. Calm water, lovely activities.

Thumbs Up 9

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Relatively quick.

13 Comments

williamjohns524 5 years ago

Been there. Done that and changed agent. Now we use cruise.com and exclusively use Danielle Smith at extension 77182. She has saved thousands of dollars and we never had a bad balcony room. We are going on our anniversary cruise March 31 then we booked a Bermuda cruise September 28 . She saved us 200.00 pop on each cruise. She always recommends the best midship rooms on whichever deck we want. We have never been disappointed.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

JediMasterLo 5 years ago

Nevemind just seen the cabin number

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

JediMasterLo 5 years ago

What deck were you on

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

2CruznBums 5 years ago

You booked through an AIRLINE?? Sorry but wow. Of course they're not going to know or care for that matter about cabin location on a cruise. They're expertise is they're airline. I'd never book thru an airline. Also it's always wise to research yourself and not rely on anyone else. I dont blame guest services for being irritated by your 4 pgs of complaints. What should they have done? Stopped the shows and performances because of you?? Silly

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Lisa507 5 years ago

Just for future reference, go to cruisedeckplans.com and research your ship's deck plan. It's interactive, so you can drag the decks and see exactly what is above and below any cabin.

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

jenn2831 5 years ago

I gotta say the fact that u actually went to guest services to complain about the noise even once let alone continuously baffles me. They didnt try to bribe u and owe u nothing. I am sorry that happened but that is the case with some room locations. B an educated traveler.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

Shh813 5 years ago

Don’t know if this is a fake review since no cruises are listed, but this is not the ship’s fault. You did not research, We have a travel agent at cruises.com, Before we book the cabin she will let us know what is above and below us. Where the cabin is located. We also look at the deck and venue plans of the ship.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

bienfang10 5 years ago

Next time Research. Its only $. The Magic has great reviews..

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

jiminnevada 5 years ago

Sorry to hear about your room noise issue. Personal research is a good thing. I have found a email with compliments on the good of your cruise with the added of your disappointment or problem you experienced. Followed by a inquiry if they could compensate gets some fruit. I have had a large room credit on a future cruise given to me and one time half of my next cruise. Good luck and happy cruising 😎

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

mason2x 5 years ago

Should have looked at the ship layout before booking.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

onlysail 5 years ago

Where you not capable of researching this yourself ?

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

txcruise 5 years ago

I feel your pain but you must do your own research. A lot of these travel experts may not have been on your specific ship and unless trained about certain rooms are just there to get you signed up and take your money. You must be responsible for yourself. Sorry for your experience.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

grandmarnnurse 5 years ago

I always book my own cruises online and choose my own cabin. I prefer a cabin on a deck sandwiched between two cabin-only decks, for restful sleep, as we are senior citizens and tend to turn in fairly early.

Thumbs Up 3

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Great

Wonderful Caribbean Cruise