Note to self: Don't take a cruise immediately after school is out; way too many kids and teenagers. One guest made the statement, it was like living in a high school dorm the entire week because of so many kids/teenagers.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Not a huge issue, time slot I was scheduled was full of people that did not have the same time slot but were allowed to embark anyway
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Dining rooms were good. I did not like that the waitress entertainment could only be seen if you were seated in the center. I think they should ensure EVERYONE in the MDR is allowed to see the entertainment. Food was good, especially the braised short ribs - they were excellent. Ate in the Specialty Steak house, the food and service were awesome! Ate at the buffet for breakfast, the selection was good for breakfast except bacon was only served in the MDR, that was disappointing.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Visited the Spa, it was FANTASTIC. Also the fitness center was okay. We did one fitness class which was mediocre because the class was held in the doorway of the gym - not a room, therefore that was very awkward.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Show was canceled which was VERY disappointing because it was replaced with a REPEAT of "Love & Marriage" which was done once already that week. A last-minute show was scheduled for the last night on the ship, and it was okay, however the timing was bad as it was the last night and it was hard to put it on your Interary due to having to pack to leave. Wish they had more shows scheduled.
Children's Programs
Did not have kids in the age range for the entertainment
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service and staff were EXCELLENT. We had Ali for our state room attendant and he as AWESOME! I will personally request him if I do another Magic cruise. He took care of our every need. Dinner staff was AWESOME too. We had the same dinner staff serve us for 4 of the 6 nights... Ted, Michael, Irish, Pan & Gunadba (not sure if I got their names right, but I asked them to write it down so that I can give them their PRAISE as they were AWESOME! They really took care of us, remember our preferences and names every night.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Layout and design was fine
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
My cabin was fine, however for the extra dollars that was paid, I was thinking it would be a bit larger than the other balcony cabins. I was disappointed when I compared it to my daughters' cabin on the 7th floor which was the exact same size and design. I believe the extra 243.00 I paid was actually for use of the Spa and having a robe and slippers in our room. I did like the fact it was not located in an area where all the teenage kids were staying. That was a HUGE positive. Ali kept it clean, and he was very attentive. If you enjoy using the Spa, then it is the perfect place to be,
Ship tip
I don't like it that Carnvial nickle and dime you. We signed up for the "CHAT" on Carnival app which was $5. PP. It DID NOT work half the time which was very disappointing. Because it is not reliable, Carnival should NOT be charging people to use it. You are paying for a service that you do NOT get!
Did a tour of the city. It was GREAT and very informative! Also, a buffet lunch was part of the tour, and it was AWESOME! It was authentic and very delicious. Absolutely loved our tour guide; was very informative and I loved the fact he told us who and what we should look out for. He gave us for warnings on locals and what we should and should not do. I thought that was GREAT that he would do that.
A HUGE disappointment we endured: we had signed up for a snorkel excursion at Half Moon Cay (which is Carnival Private Island). There is not a pier there, so therefore we were water shuttled over to the beach. Because we had an excursion, we were told we had priority debarking and if you did NOT have an excursion, then you have to get a general admission pass to get a shuttle and it was first come first serve. Once they run out of passes, you'll just have to get a shuttle whenever. Anyway, our snorkel excursion was CANCEL due to jelly fish being high, however Carnival DID NOT notify us that it was canceled until we were shuttled to the island. We should have been told it was canceled prior to that so that we could make other plans. By the time we got to the island and were informed our excursion was cancelled, we did not have anything to do. There were no lounge chairs left, no excursions we could sign up for. Spent $41.00 on 2 floaters just so that we could at least float in the water. We had to walk to the very end of the beach because everything was taken up for those that Carnival had shuttled over without excursions.
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