This cruise did not live up to the high expectations I had after being on the Magic a few weeks ago. It was over crowded and under staffed. Everything had a line or a wait. The elevators were ridiculously small and took forever to get anywhere. The food was good and the drinks were okay. The ship was beautiful, but the activities were very limited compared to what I’m used to on a Carnival cruise. I would only recommend this ship if you’re a huge fan of being packed in like sardines and don’t mind standing in line after line after line.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Plenty of food options, and plenty of lines to stand in. Everything had a wait time, sometimes of an hour or more. Breakfast and brunch in the MDR took hours. Chibang was just ok. Cucina del Capitano was great.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Not having karaoke at night was a big disappointment. There were a few shows going on, but the activities were surprisingly few given the size of the ship.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Comedians were great. Had to line up an hour before each show to get a seat. That wasn’t fun. Couldn’t get seating at the larger shows. The Magic show had plenty of seats, but it was because the show was horrible. We didn’t stay for the whole thing.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff were all so friendly and hard working. There just were too few of them to keep up with the passenger load.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship was huge and beautiful. But the design was weird. There were so many narrow walkways to get from one area to the next. And it was super crowded, so there were constant traffic jams. All three banks of elevators are tiny. The tiniest I’ve ever seen. Take the stairs.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a suite this time, which was spacious and beautiful. Highly recommend.
Ship tip
Eat before you go to breakfast or brunch in the dining room.
We were on the Mardi Gras back in Sept when it first launched and was only at 60% capacity. Even then the lines for the comedy were super long and you couldn’t get in if you were not lined up 30 minutes prior. All the pools were jammed pack even at 60% full. Plenty of lounge chair space but no way to get into the pools. And the casino was super crowded even at 60% capacity. We said once this ship starts sailing full it is going to be jammed packed everywhere and not fun.
The restaurants were good, no lines at all no matter where we went so they did a nice job with toms of options in that area.
Thanks for the review. Patience, flexibility and lowered expectations seem to be the keys to enjoying a cruise currently. Things are not like they were pre-Covid and may never be.
I was on the 1st cruise out on the mardi gras and I totally agree with you but I did think it was going to be better for you I thought it was a bad experience Just because it was the 1st cruise out on that boatSorry it was a disappointment for you as it was for me I'm sailing on the carnival conquest next weekAnd I'm sure that will be a great cruise
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