Embarkation on Carnival's Magic out of Cape Canaveral week before last (Spring Break) was a breeze! No long lines to a desk to check in and get our room cards. They really handled that well. After security, we paused briefly and were handed a sheet of paper with our information, a bar code, and a zone number. There were seating sections by zone and zones were called in order and according to that zone's "reservation time" check-in. So it didn't pay to get there before your reservation time. Once your zone was called you moved on to the ship...without cabin cards which was new to me. The bar code on the slip of paper could be used to charge drinks, etc. until the cabins were opened, which was at 1:30. Our cards were at the cabin.
The Magic was said to have been built in 2011 and to hold 4,000, yet we found the ship seemed old, gaudy, confusing, low-ceilinged and claustrophobic. For that new of a ship, there was only one electrical outlet in the main cabin and one in the bathroom. Not so uncommon though. They confiscated cords with surge protectors until the end of the cruise. We had plenty of storage space in our cabin. So much that some went unused. Upon first entering, we found sequins in the carpet, fingerprints on the balcony window, and a daily schedule on the floor under the dressing table from 5 days before. When we packed to leave, we found a neon colored child's tote bag with a neck pillow attached and a couple of toys inside that had been missed. That was a first for me! Over the week, my daughter tested our cleaner by sprinkling a few sunflower seeds on the floor around her side of the bed by the balcony, and we checked to see if they were vacuumed. Not till the last day. The walls of our cabin were somewhat thin (we had an adjoining door to someone else's room and could hear her cell phone conversations). Might have been better without that door as her's was the side we heard the most. She was part of a large group traveling together who purposefully booked every other cabin and then proceeded to speak to one another loudly across other people's balconies. It got better as the week went on though. There were little children who occasionally ran down the hallway, feet pounding. While in port, the ship smelled like mold and sewer. It got better as the AC was pumped back up once under way but there was one day around mid-week that the ship's main floor smelled like sewer. Smoking was allowed in the casino and through it was the main path to other venues. Not pleasant.
Even though it was Spring Break, it really was not a drunken party cruise! Lots of young people. Lots of families with kids. People from most walks of life. Lots of girls in bikinis around the pool (which was surprisingly small) dancing and singing to loud music with drinks in hand, but no one pounding on doors or waking us in the wee hours. Only once did I open our door and see some "neighbors" returning from a day at Margaritaville on Grand Turk, staggering and laughing down the hall. It was late afternoon and no problem! Rude people were a problem. There were always people pushing in from the sides of those of us who diid line up for dinner or an event. They ignored people on scooters, in wheelchairs, families with tired little kids and a stroller. They surged into an elevator pushing ahead of those who had been waiting. And yes, the usual problem of chairs being saved at the pool but unused most of the time.
The food was mediocre but there were a few stand-outs, among appetizers mainly. We did not eat in specialty restaurants. The Lido buffet had long lines at times but finding seating was not a problem. Breakfast was OK but the rest not to my liking with the exception of Guy's Burger Joint's fresh hot french fries! Burger wasn't bad either. There seemed to be very few workers at the Lido who would ask if they could get you a drink or anything, for that matter. Service at Any Time dining was just so so. Mid-week we found a head waiter we liked and tried to request her each night. Still, it seemed as if we had to wait long times between courses if we had been seated near tables who were ahead of us by course. Coffee was forgotten until after dessert was served, if even then. It was very difficult to get a soft drink at all eating venues. We had a package. Bars were crowded and bartenders seemed to pass us over for those more likely to tip extra. There's no doubt that automatic tipping has lessened service on all lines I've traveled.
My biggest disappointment was our cabin steward because of the lack of cleanliness mentioned above and an incident where my daughter hurt her ankle in San Juan and the medical center told us to elevate it with more pillows. I approached our cabin steward in the hall and asked for two more pillows and he said to give him 15 minutes. The pillows arrived 24 hours later. I've always had great stewards before. This the first time I went to the customer service desk and complained.
WiFi was awful. I purchased three premium packages for the "best and fastest" but it took forever, if at all, to load a page. I think I was able to pull my email 4 times during the week. Complained about that too on the last day and they refunded the packages, which, by the way, were a lot less expensive than packages on Celebrity!
One thing I LOVED on this cruise was the Carnival Hub app. It worked really well to keep us up on time, temperatures, port arrival and departure times, "What's Happening Now" calendar (You could favorite an event and keep up with where you wanted to go next without scrolling through the whole calendar). "Where to Eat Now," including menus. The photos that Carnival's photographers took of us were available on the app very quickly, saving all that paper and trips to search a wall for them. There was a chat feature for $5.00 total to keep up with one another while on board. That worked sporadically, however, was very helpful keeping up with our teenager.
The entertainment wasn't great. Same singers and dancers every night in theater. Comedy club seating only if you came 30-45 minutes early.
Our two Carnival excursions were pretty seamless. But we got more for our money with fewer people on our two private excursions. Carnival even waited for us when we were an hour late from a private excursion but that's an even longer story and this is so lengthy now.
Bottom line, not our best ship, food, service or entertainment but a great itinerary, better price, and our best bet all things considered for that week.
