Very disappointed. I will not return to this ship contemplating canceling our next cruise with Carnival
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Great. Had a suite therefore priority embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
If I could give no stars I would. Main Dining was terrible. Food was consistently cold. Steaks would be over cooked Send it back and again over cooked. Veal parmigiana was so dried I could use it as a frisbee. The wait staff knew it and still tried to serve it. Filet Mignon, beef tenderloin, was not beef tenderloin but shoulder tender, teres major. Told the waiter because half the people at our table received the proper steaks and the others did not and he told the Maitre D and the Chef but no one took Ed the time to address our concerns. Steakhouse was a huge disappointment. Supposed to be prime steaks but they were tough Lamb rack supposed to be medium rare served well. Again had to send it back. Just so frustrating. The breakfast at the lido was always cold. They put the toast out on the line 30 minutes before opening the buffet so how is it supposed to be warm. As for bacon, if the put it out, it is disperse by a server and do not ask for a third slice. It is frowned upon. A complete disappointment
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Pools overcrowded and too many unsupervised kids jumping and splashing. No adult only pools. A child vomited the salt water They drained and cleaned it but only one person actually cleaned. No sense of urgency it took almost half the day with it being shut down and we were at sea. Way under staffed. Cost cutting
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Just ok. Piano bar musician didn’t even know typical standards like piano man
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Our steward had too many rooms to deal with himself. Again cost cutting making the staff do even more work. Out suite was dusty. I cleaned the glass shelves in the bathroom. Ur balcony was dirty and had to ask for it to be cleaned. Nightly turndown is not happening anymore. Disappointment
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Again no adult pool on the Serenity deck. At certain levels you had to go up or down to access areas
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
As stated cabin was nice. Our steward was good but had too many cabins to maintain. I do not blame him. I blame the company for not staffing better
Ship tip
Rethink it. This was our first trip post Covid. I am a veteran cruiser with many line Disney Royal and Carnival. The industry has been changing over the years and prior to covid it was noticed. The main Dining room used to have wonderful choices and was an event every night. Now the food that used to be offered is in the specialty restaurants and at a fee. The main dining is more like the food you would find on the buffet. The ship in my opinion is short staffed. I am booked on Carnival Celebration in and corner aft excel suite and seriously considering canceling it
The magic is one of my favorite ships. I have sailed on her many times. My favorite part is A thermal suites and pool in the spa.
I will agree that since the restart the food on the carnival ships has went downhill. The quality is just not there anymore. That being said I can still find Something to eat. We rarely eat at the Buffet .Love the Sea Day Brunch and the port day breakfast in the main dining room.
I rarely cruise during times that children are out of school. The pools and hot tubs are much less crowded during those times.
I agree that the cabin stewards have way too many cabins to take care of and it shows. They still do a good job and are very friendly but they do look so tired. Part of the issue is the cruise lines are having trouble Getting help. I have noticed the same problem on other cruise lines that I have been on since the restart.
Cruising has definitely changed since Covid, but is still my favorite vacation.
Hope your next cruise is more to your liking.
Have sailed on the Magic only two times. We loved both sailings. No sailing is 100% perfect. The staff, food, ship, and entertainment were great. Maybe cruising isn't for you. Try a land based vacation next time.
I'm not really sure such high expectations. When you have 3500 people from all walks of life and a staff of half they do there best. I don't think a cruise is your vacation. There are plenty of beachfront resorts with private butlers that will cater to you.
Wow, that's too bad that nearly everything seemed just absolutely horrendous...from your experience review. Best wishes on any future vacations you take. Cruising or on land. On the flip side--if you stick with that Aft Excel Suite coming up, you will have your own hot tub out on that grande balcony and that suite is huge. (You will not have to worry about other ppl). I hope you did not book it on Deck 9 or 10. From experience, you WILL here ppl having fun & entertaining in the Summer Landing pool / area. Best of luck.
The Magic is our favorite ship. The thalosotherapy spa area is the best. The MDR food is always on point if you know what to avoid ordering in a large dining experience (steaks, chicken breast, salmon...these will always be awful in a forum like a cruise ship..on every line in my experience..they don't lend themselves to mass production and waiting). I think you should cancel your Celebration cruise. Something tells me you will be disappointed again.
Thanks for sharing. I'm very sorry about your cruise. I've been on that ship before. I had a great time. the food was good. It sucks that things didn't get better, 4U. I pray it will be better for you on your next cruise.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy your cruise. I will say one of the biggest disappointments with Carnivals is the adults only area. It’s mainly just a sitting area on most of their ships. They are a family cruise line but even other family lines have outstanding adult only areas.
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