For my girls first cruise, it gave them a wonderful chance to see what cruising is all about. We enjoyed it and would definitely go again, just maybe not on Carnival.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation was organized, but repetitive. You are asked to show your ID at every stop before they actually put it into their system. The lady that did our official check in was rude. There is a long wait to get on the ship and not enough seating in the terminal to accommodate everyone but the time went by pretty quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The buffet was the same food on a daily basis, but good. Long waits at the omelette and mongolian wok stations. Plenty of seating both inside and on the outside deck. Dining room was good, though not as good as previous cruises, but better than the buffets. Tried the steakhouse; service was slow, but food was delicious.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Mostly trivia and "guess that song" with one particular member of the Fun Squad, which we very much enjoyed and participated because she was the host. My kids enjoyed the ropes course and we had a great time on the water slides. There's also a mini-golf course (that is surprisingly difficult), ping pong tables, bags, and a basketball court. The pools were always full, but, when you can get in, they were fun.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
DJ for the night deck parties was good. Musician at the piano bar was good, but overly loud. Stage shows have talented performers, but were underwhelming.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
My oldest enjoyed being able to come and go from the kid's club as she pleased. More age-separation would be beneficial to pre-teens as many of the activities for that 11 and younger club are geared toward 4-8 year olds.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward was amazing!!! Dining room staff learned our names quickly and new our drink order at dinner. However, our main server was quite difficult to understand and not as "fun" as other servers seemed to be.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Magic is an older ship that is definitely showing its age. Its design is a typical Carnival design in that it is a big garish, but not important to the cruise itself. There is not pass through from the aft to the forward part of the ship on deck 3, so you have to go up 1-2 floors, pass through, and back down. Not so much a problem except that the main dining room is on the aft floor 3. This is also where the smallest elevator bay is. Lot of rust on exterior portions of ship and its starting to show the long term effects of salt water exposure. It is well maintained and doesn't seem unsafe, just aging.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Typical size. Little cramped for 4 people and not a not a lot of storage for luggage for that many people. Cabin was clean. Some minor maintenance things (hinges on closet doors were not connected at some points, some lights not working). These did not affect our cruise.
Ship tip
Be aware of the time of year that you sail. As Carnival is, usually, the most cost effective option for cruising, it often draws groups of younger folks who are there to party. They can be loud and disrespectful. Just be aware.
Thank you for taking the time to share your cruise with us. Glad you and the family enjoyed your cruise. Nice cruise for the money is on MSC. Personally the Magic is my favorite ship.
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