This was the first leg of our first Back to Back (B2B) making this really a 2 week adventure. For this leg of the cruise, the seas a were rough and the ship was a bit rocky for the first 2 days. Then the last evening, it was extremely rocky. If the door to the bathroom wasn’t latched it would bang open and shut. We both slept well with this rocking. We were the only ship at each port of call on this leg of our journey. That has never happened before!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It was easy a separate are seating for diamond, platinum, suites and FTTF. No weddings. Met some fun folks!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Hub a must for making reservations for YTD. Can’t specify window or waitstaff. Not the best plan. Northern Lights dining room entirely YTD. Food was good and a nice variety. Breakfast and Lunch on Lido. Plenty to choose from but I prefer the deli and the Blue Iguana while my DH preferred the buffet and it’s many choices. The best bar for us was the Atrium Bar. Made generous drinks and were very friendly.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There is a lot of options especially on sea days. We chose trivia with Baby Jane; did well the first one 17 out of 20 and got ship on a stick. Q&A with Simon London very enlightening. Military appreciation well done. Art auction had some nice options.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The comedians on this leg of the trip were good. "Happy Meal" is a fun comedy show host. Shows were loud but the entertainers worked well together.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
We had no children but the youth staff kept most of them invisible, there were 500 children on the ship. Mostly well behaved
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff always working and so friendly. One of the hostesses was on her last week of her nine month contract. It was fun to do the countdown with her. Dining staff fantastic. Room steward, Gede, one of the best we have ever had.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
No enforcement of non-smoking areas and/or machines in casino. In an attempt to make the walk through tolerable the machines, bar area and tables lining the “isle” were non-smoking, but smokers ignored this and management didn’t enforce it. Fortunately, one can go fore to aft on deck 4.
The temperature on the ship was not consistent. Because of previous reviews, I paid attention to any smells. While there often was a bad odor it wasn’t always in the same place and I couldn’t identify where is was coming from.
The house keeping staff were always cleaning the public areas. But the ship has been abused by passengers and she has some wear and tear.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We enjoy a balcony cabin and we were only 3 doors from the ironing room. We were across from a crew only service area, but only once did we have any noise from them. Our cabin was ready and keys in mailbox. Room steward Gede, on day 2 put 7 towel animals in cabin, plus, one each day after that. We asked for service twice a day, but it seemed like he was there 3-4 times per day. Many people in our corridor had decorations identifying their cabins. We did as well.
Ship tip
If you need to avoid the smoke from the casino, use deck 4 to go from aft to forward (or the otherway).
We decided since we would be repeating this island and water shuttle is always frustrating, we would not get off the ship on this leg of our B2B. It was fun being on the ship with fewer passengers.
An announcement was made before the gangways opened that a new shore tour was available on the pier for $25.98/person. We thought this tour of the island on a tram sounded interesting so we decided to get off early and perhaps book this tour. It seemed like everyone else decide to the same thing. The stair wells were crowded and people were frustrated. Folks with shore tours were having issues. Finally, a crew member helped folks with shore tours by taking them off directly (don’t know where they went, but they did make the shore tour). We did finally get off and could book the shore tour for later that afternoon. We decided to walk the beach and do a bit of shopping. We returned to ship for lunch and quick game of mini golf. Went on the fascinating tour of Grand Turk, learning a lot about their way of life, government, and role in the beginnings of the US space program.
We really enjoy people watching on this port of call. Someday we may venture away from the port area, but watching fellow cruisers enjoy life is delightful. No other ship was in port.
This was the first leg of our first back to back cruise. We were off the ship for 8 minutes. The best way to prepare for an 8 day cruise is to go on a 6 day cruise prior.
Thank you for taking the time to share your review of the Carnival Magic. Glad you had a wonderful cruise. We have never had B2B on the same ship, something we would like to try at some point.
bevandbob, yes the shows were the same but the comedians were different. Some of the ports were the same. We decided to skip some shows the first leg and do them on the second one. The same with shore tours.
We have done a few back to back cruises. We noticed that the entertainment repeats itself which we didn't care for. Just wondering if this was the case with yours?!
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