It was nice to get away considering the past two years. We really enjoyed the entertainment.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Considering the number of guests, it wasn't bad.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food in dining room was great (breakfast, brunch, dinner). Lido deck buffet could have been better. A step down from past years. And 18% tacked on to every drink purchase was gouging in light of the fact that gratuities are added to your account at the end of the cruise.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Two small pools could not accommodate the number of guests onboard. Unless you got in the pool early in the morning, you were faced with large crowds. We were able to utilize the pool on Amber Cove day because we returned to the ship much earlier than scheduled time, so only a few people in the pool. The Serenity deck was the same in terms of crowds and not enough chairs/cabanas. If you didn't get there extra early, you were out of luck.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Awesome entertainment! The comedy shows were great and I cannot sing enough praises for the musical entertainment. The best of all were Music & Magic Duo. They were the highlight for me.
Children's Programs
We didn't travel with children,
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone was courteous and went out of their way to accommodate you.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Everywhere was clean and well-maintained. Getting to certain locations was a bit confusing if you didn't take the right elevator.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was very comfortable with adequate closet and drawer space.
Ship tip
If you've cruised in the past (particularly Royal Caribbean or Norwegian), this ship may not live up to your expectations. And the WiFi package is a joke. Works well with the Carnival Hub app, but a hit or miss (mostly miss) with other apps. I purchased the Value plan and was upgraded to Premium which was no better.
Very disappointing. We were advised that it was not necessary to rush to get the shuttle passes, as they would be available for the remainder of the morning, and were not required beginning at 1pm. We had passes numbered 23. Our number was called sometime shortly after 12 noon. By the time the shuttle left for the island, it was 1:45pm. Unfortunately by the time we arrived on the island, the beach was packed; no where to sit or lay a towel. And the BBQ had ended at 2pm!
Was not as smooth as embarkation. Once our numbers were called to proceed to the terminal to pick up our luggage and go through Customs, we then had to lug our heavy bags to the street. We had scheduled an Uber however passengers waiting to be picked up had to trudge across 12th Ave, as cars were not allowed to pick up passengers in front of the terminal. It got a bit hectic, besides being hot.
We’re on the Magic next week. Am expecting big crowds as there were only a small amount of cruises from NY and we got a great price. Glad to hear entertainment was good as we love the Magic. Happy cruising!
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