Great easy getaway

Item: Carnival Magic
Rating: 4.6
Author: marquis3708

Carnival Magic Cruise Review

marquis3708

Contributor Level: Second Mate

133 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 6

Helpful Votes: 98

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5

5 Night Bahamas (Norfolk Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 20, 2023

Ship: Carnival Magic

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 1222

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Easy 5 day cruise. Enjoyed Bimini. Would visit again.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

So smooth. Waiting area in terminal does get full though. Had a 10-10:30am port arrival time. Got to port at 10:05. Sitting in waiting area at 10:20. They started boarding Diamond at 11:20am. We had boarding group A04. We were on board and in the Magic lobby at 11:35. We didn’t stop to take any photos.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Didn’t do the main dining room for dinner this trip. Lido buffet was decent, pretty busy during the usual peak times though. Hot food was dry and a bit bland. I was really impressed with how great the salad bar looked and tasted. Best one I’ve had on a Carnival cruise. Guy’s and Blue Iguanas were on point as usual. Deli was pretty good, just always busy. Steakhouse was awesome as expected.

Coffee Bar

5 out of 5

It amazes me how fast they can get through so many people in line with only 2 people working the busy morning times. The one barista Laura is ALWAYS there. I swear she never takes a break. Love the coffee, shakes, and sweets they make here.

Carnival Deli

4 out of 5

Stays busy for lunch and dinner. Pack your patience. Love how many options to choose from. Steak and cheese sandwich was missing the peppers and onions. I really enjoyed the Cuban sandwich.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Trivia is always a good time for us. No “ship on a stick” prizes for winners on this cruise just the Carnival whale tail medals. Cruise director Louis brought the energy and so did the Fun Squad. Hot tubs always seemed busy, especially with kids. Pools weren’t as crowded as I expected.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

We thought the musicians on board were fantastic. The guitar player and violin trio were really enjoyable to listen to. We’ve never been a fan of the stage shows in the theater. We tried one again this time and ended up leaving before the show was over. Just not our cup of tea. But a lot of other people in there seemed to be enjoying it.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All the staff we came across were awesome. Jimcor our stateroom steward was great and friendly. The bar staff were great, especially in the casino, pool, and lobby bars.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Ship was very clean. Always staff around cleaning the ship and common areas.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Love getting the deluxe ocean view on the Magic. It’s nice having the extra shower so we can get ready at the same time. It can be noisy down there during docking because of the proximity of the thrusters. Also in heavy seas the big waves will make a pretty loud bang when the ship hits them. Room was clean and in good working order.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Pretty smooth process for us, minus all the people that want to hang out on and block the stairwells 🙄 We did self carry debarkation. We had muster station A3 so we were in the first group that wasn’t Diamond, Platinum, or Suite guests to be called. They called for A1-A4 at about 7:30am. We were outside and on Waterside drive at 7:55am.

Traveler Photos

9 Comments

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