Family Cruise

Item: Carnival Magic
Rating: 3.8
Author: jennboyce89

Carnival Magic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

jennboyce89

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 8

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 12, 2024

Ship: Carnival Magic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8229

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 month ago

Review summary

This was a fun cruise with many positive experiences with the staff & on excursions. Two of my companions were very impressed as this was their 1st cruise & they only 20 years old. However, my husband & I travel a lot (this was my 3rd cruise) so we expected a bit more for our money. Having stayed in all-inclusive resorts we felt "nickled & dimed" for beverages, photos, etc. I would cruise with Carnival again but would not purchase a beverage package & would recommend always asking the price of things before purchasing!

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Lines were long & people who arrived early for their boarding times were still allowed to join the line

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Service was phenomenal & the food was good but drinks were expensive. They were out of the rose on the cruise the vineyard package we purchased & the bottomless bubbles only included soda/juice not gatorade/mocktails, etc. so we only got 14 for 4 people (@ $45) across the entire cruise but paid $70/person - not a good value & they would not allow us to cancel or refund any portion of the package price. Also, we were not aware that the 2 welcome aboard drinks in souvenier cups would cost $67 until after we already purchased them!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

There were a lot of activities for varied interests but the pools were always over crowded, the Serenity deck could use more shaded areas, & the spa was extremely overpriced even just to use the therapy pool/saunas.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Entertainment was amazing & there were a lot of different activities to choose from - loved the theater shows/magician in the dining room/steel drums but was not happy about the guests who took over the dance floor by swing dancing & upset the staff didn't intervene when it was impossible for others to dance (I was even stepped on/bumped into & got bruised/scraped by the other guests but they never apologized & staff didn't ask them to allow other guests room to also use the dance floor).

Children's Programs

no children in our party

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Our room steward, Martin, went above & beyond to keep our room stocked/tidy/full of towel animals. Some of the dining room staff was

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Immaculately kept but needs some paint/rust removal & all balcony lights should work (we were informed that the bridge often limits their use but ours was never working). Also our balcony door handle didn't work (maintenance came immediately to fix it as soon as we reported it).

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Rooms are always a bit smaller than expected especially when shared by 4 adults but it was comfortable (fridge didn't stay very cold) & extremely clean.