Wonderful Family Cruise

Item: Carnival Magic
Rating: 5
Author: npmommyx3

Carnival Magic Cruise Review

npmommyx3

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 45

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

6 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 30, 2019

Ship: Carnival Magic

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

We had a wonderful time on our 3rd family cruise. We love the variety of activities to keep everyone entertained.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Wear water shoes or flip flops on the open deck areas at all times. The decks get very hot!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

We loved Amber Cove. We all enjoyed the water slides (must be 48 inches tall) and the pool areas that are free to use. The only thing to keep in mind is that the walkways are very hot on your feet. You can wear your flip flops or water shoes but they aren’t allowed on the slides and you can’t carry them down the slide with you. So you just have to tough it out and run up the hot pavers to get to the slides! There were plenty of lawn chairs and shady areas. We ate hot dogs (2 for $5) as a quick snack. We had thought about going back to the boat for lunch but the walk would have taken too long.

Thumbs Up 1

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

We stayed at the Best Western I-95 Inn the night before our cruise left. It was a nice and clean hotel (nothing fancy but we aren’t fancy people) with a free hot breakfast. They let us leave our car there for the week free of charge and gave us the number for a taxi service to pick us up the next morning and drive us to the port. It cost $35. We then got a taxi back to the hotel when our cruise returned which also cost $35. Still cheaper than parking at the port. Embarkation process was simple with very little waiting. I suggest getting as early of a embarkation time as possible so you can get on the boat as soon as possible.

Thumbs Up 1

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5

We did the 2 reef snorkel shore excursion and had an amazing time. The Chukka tour guides were wonderful and our family of 5 loved it (kids ages 12, 11, and 6). We brought our own full face snorkel masks. I was a little worried about how my kids would do with needing to swim the whole time but they did great. Even my 6 year old (who can swim but isn’t a strong swimmer yet) did great with the snorkel vest we all wore and a pool noodle. Lots of fish to see and touch up close. We then enjoyed spending a few hours on the beach and then walked back to the port area and shopped a little before getting back on the boat.

Thumbs Up 1

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5

This is one of our favorite ports. No excursion is needed. We always enjoy relaxing on the beach and playing in the crystal clear ocean. We bring floats to lounge in the water that we blow up once we get to our chairs. The buffet lunch is great.

Thumbs Up 6