Just off Magic & disappointed

The buffet seems to always be busy on embarkation day until people figure out the dining options and times during the rest of the week. I tend to find the less known options to eat on embarkation day.

I have friends on the Magic now, and I'll be onboard in a few weeks with a group of over 70. They have nothing but positive reviews about the ship, so I guess everyone has different expectations or experiences.

I have no comment on your post. Just want to say I love your screen name. I should change mine to SigP226 :)

Or Beretta92F!!!:D

Mike

Mpdog42

A If you have any questions i will try to help, every cruise is what you make it of course and we made it fun cause we had large group but the Carnival Magic disappointed all of us:(

I do have a question. How could you have "made it fun" with 26 specific problems, including that it sounds like you never once got a decent meal? Not questioning your claims, just not sure how that would work.

Did you ever get a meal that was acceptable?

I have been on ships where certain areas were crowded at times, and have had certain things to eat that were not good, but only isolated circumstances. If I had this many complaints, I would not have finished the cruise.

Seriously, in order to help me better enjoy my vacations, tell me how you all "made it fun" when you were hot, hungry, crowded, bored, and disappointed? Was it the alcohol? I would have been miserable, and probably would have got off after the 1st day if I had that many issues. We once checked out of a hotel after 1 hour. Not spending my vacation miserable.

Honestly, it sounds like most of your conversations would have been about how bad it sucked.

Not to cruise in 7 years did you think time was going to wait 4 you? Some people are UPPIDDY and want to be millionaires on a $5 budget..... I sit and look at ALL the foolishness on the ship as my entertainment!

wow can't believe the posts that condem someones experience and what is important to them. Don't get why some people are so very defensive of Carnival, do they pay you or provide a living for your family?? And use the guarantee to get off the ship find your own way home for a large group because they thought the food and entertainment was below standard is just an idiotic reply kissing up to Carnival. Its a business people not your life! I agree with many things the original poster complained about, not every boat or cruise is amazing especially when people save up and plan for months or years. I respect the original poster and thank them for their honest views whether good or bad. If your experience was different then good for you, you can also write about it but don't knock someone else opinion thats whats wrong with the world no respect for differing views. I think these boards are for info and that provided a lot of information there not for kissing Carnival Corporation.

I am less impressed by the guarantee than most. It is not that I am concerned that Carnival wouldn't honor it, but rather I'm concerned that it is asking the passenger to sacrifice far too much to be an option that many could stomach invoking. There are too many incurred costs that the guarantee won't address (vacation time from work and original airline tickets, for starters). The impact of the sacrifice the passenger would be making is exacerbated by the time limit, which is set to a point in time that many passengers would still be in the stage of wondering, "Is this really as bad as it feels?" when the offer expires.

 

Regardless, I read the OP with interest, given that our first Carnival Magic cruise in 100 days. Without challenging the OP's relaying of the events or their impact on the OP's experience, I don't find myself reaching for the telephone to cancel our trip. I am to some extent expecting a bit of a "zoo" at embarkation lunch. I remember such "zoos" during prior cruises on other cruise lines. The embarkation lunch is something that I feel has long stressed the system, given that much of the crew is busy actually getting the ship ready for the upcoming week's voyage and therefore the lunch service is trying to serve too many passengers with a reasonably-determined skeleton crew. Again: I'm not taking anything away from the dissatisfaction that the OP expressed; I'm just saying, "Message received; I'm preparing myself (and my spouse) for that experience." And to be fair, we've purchased FTTF in part to get a jump on this situation so that perhaps we'll be aboard the ship a few minutes prior to when the OP boarded, and therefore beat the rush by a little.

 

Similarly, the stifling heat in Central Florida in July. I'm prepared for it (well, for what will be left of it in November).

 

I recall reading how much less Carnival spends on food per passenger, as compared to the other cruise lines we've sailed in the past. Just looking at how much lower my cruise fare is, adjusted for inflation, I'm sure that that disparity continues. Having said that, I'm reading far too many positive reviews of the food that is offered, especially at Tandoor (which is where you'll find us during embarkation lunch) to worry too much. Those reviews are backed up by YouTube videos that give you a much better feel for how much the reviewer is actually feeling about what they're experiencing in the minute. Again: I'm not taking anything away from the dissatisfaction that the OP expressed; I'm just saying, "Message received; I'm preparing myself (and my spouse) for that experience."

 

I'm not sure what to think about the comment that the public areas are too small for the amount of passengers in the context of the statement, "Definitely carnival cutbacks!" which followed that comment. I doubt that they've packed more cabins into the ship since it was built. Beyond that, videos tend to make things look more crowded, and instead many of the 2016 and 2017 videos of the sail-away party on Carnival Magic that I've viewed make it look awkwardly sparse. Again, I'm not sure what to to think about that so unlike the earlier comments, I cannot say that I'm prepared for what the OP is saying here.

 

I'm also cognizant of changes that place more cabins on the back of each stateroom attendant and more tables on the back of each server. I appreciate the comments I've read from the OP and others about that since, again, it helps put our expectations back where they belong. As indicated earlier, in the context of how much lower this fare is than what we've experienced on prior cruises, adjusted for inflation, it fits. However, having said that, it also has prepared me to be my own best advocate. While on prior cruises if such situations as the OP described occurred, I'd have waited until the third or fourth occurrence to make a point of it. Now I know to do so the first time and every time, and to make it clear that in both of these cases the failure will be directly reflected in the gratuity. (FTTF will come in handy there, as well.)

 

The line dancing and loud music comment resonated with my expectations from my research. We've almost always spent sail-away toward the bow rather than at the party itself. We typically spend sea days alternating between reading on our balcony and visits to the spa. As we get closer to our voyage I'm going to float the idea to the Roll Call that we set a time on both sea days for folks to get together for a board game... creating our own activities rather than relying on a cruise line that we know, going into this, isn't aiming their entertainment at us.

 

Clean bathrooms! I haven't heard anyone tout that but I'm especially glad to read that news. My spouse and I always tend to clash between shower time and the need to use the restroom, so it sounds like the public restrooms are a great option.

wow can't believe the posts that condem someones experience and what is important to them.

Having said that, I do think it is appropriate for people to weigh the comments we each offer and respond as one sees fit. There is no reasonable expectation that one's comments will remain unresponded to. Some experiences relayed can both be taken as 100% truthful and still be viewed as grounded in unreasonable expectations.

These discussion threads are for discussions, a back and forth exchange of information and perspectives, in the interest of getting the most out of our vacations. I haven't seen many comments in this thread that aren't either information or perspective.

This message may have been entered via voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

I've been on several cruises and even though it hasn't been over New Year's Eve with a child, I have enough experience dealing with people and drunk idiots to know what to and what not to expose my child to. There are several things I've seen parents do that my husband and I won't do with our child.

 

I was concerned about how crowded it is for water slides, games, golf, etc. and was asking for a perspective on activities in the kids club. He wouldn't be partying on deck with a bunch of adults. But for those that choose to do that, it's their choice.

 

 

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Still the same..... you asking a question that you can only know when you get on the ship.

It may be only 8 kids or 508 kids.

Just off the Magic, only waited on Lobster night for a table. Mongolian wok had a 5 minute wait. Everything else was speedy.

You have the right to your own opinion. Summer cruises can be a little rough around the edges. Ships more crowded and longer lines. Hope your next cruise meets your expectations.

Due to what you have stated, I never sailed during the Summer and opt for the after Spring Break and the early Fall when. I can only imagine how crowded the ships are during the Summer months.

Just off the Magic and never had to wait more than 5 minutes in line for anything and that was usually the deli or pizza. The longest line was the Mongolian Wok so we passed...we can get that at home and there where plenty of other options. We had a great time and are already looking to book our next cruise that just happens to be on Magic!

Our 6 yo DS was pretty indifferent about the kids club. He went, but didn't rave about having a good time like previous cruises. He was more interested in the schedule this time and avoided the arts and crafts times - just not his thing. He enjoyed the Waterworks area and Sports Court, neither were overly crowded - at least that made them unbearable.

If it was so bad why did you not take advantage of the guarantee? I really hate when I see threads like this that everything was so horrible from the start that they did not just get off the ship.

OK This is just a ridiculous question. Who is going to take their extended family and exit after the first night. Don't even ask a silly question like this. OP shared the experience they encountered. That doesn't mean they want to cancel a cruise they planned for months and months and get off in a foreign port and try to figure out what to do next.

please.

Invoking the Carnival "guarantee" would not be something I would/could do, unless under extreme circumstances. I appreciate the original poster's opinion. When comparing ships and lines, I prefer an "apples to apples" approach. For example, when I compare a ship to another ship/line, I try and compare using the same time of year, etc. That said, while I loved sailing on the Splendor this past May, I was disappointed with the pizza place, Wok, etc. I have sailed MANY lines and MANY ships in May. So I feel I can compare that time of year. It seemed IMHO that on the Splendor, the pizza place and wok were the same sizes as the Fantasy classed ships, and there were a LOT more people. Several people in lines (and there were LOTS of lines) also complained that the areas should be larger, to accommodate the larger crowds. The larger the ship, the larger the crowd. If the areas are the same size, then it stands to reason that the lines will be longer. I understand that this is a Carnival opinion board. However, I have rarely left a review, unless it was a glowing one. Because the one time I left an honest, thorough review, I was constantly flamed. And I didn't even consider the review all that negative. I try and leave an honest review, because for me, boarding a ship with realistic expectations is important. Also, I have found that the food varies from ship to ship within the same lines. The food on RCCL's Radiance of the Seas was terrific, while the food on RCCL's Grandeur of the Seas wasn't. The same with CCL. I have also found that the staff on some ships within the same lines are varied. The BEST customer service I received was on the Fascination when stationed in Jax. The worst was on the Valor. I loved the Valor as a ship, but really had some not so great experiences with their CS. I understand not wanting CCL bashed on these boards, but I didn't take the original poster's opinion as bashing. They had examples backing up their opinions. Thank you to ALL that take the time to review their experiences, whether good or bad. If I don't like reading something, I hit the scroll button or ignore.

Thanks for the great review! Carnival has a way to go for buffet layout, Royal’s Island concept is by far much easier to navigate. No bacon police. Food on both Carnival & Royal is similar in some respects but Royal is much more organized, has more choices, and its food venues are more spread out on the ship.

You are correct Royal’s internet is far better. I agree with Carnival suites being lacking, they are pretty lame compared to Royals. Royal suites are better designed, nicer décor, better amenities, better service and overall far better than anything Carnival has. Royal is a notch above Carnival and fits my cruise vacations better, glad I tried them a couple years ago.

Carnivals cutbacks and lack of loyalty program make it a no brainer when booking future cruises.

Again thanks for the review!

I agree thanks for the original post review even if it was negative! Also agree with the others about getting off the ship is ridiculous and the poster wasn't asking "what they could have done" so I don't know the reason for that answer, and I wasnt condoning others experiences only their attack on the original poster that was THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE & I respect their right to report back to us their negatives they encountered & I agree with many of them thats why there are many different cruise lines so that we can try a different one if that certain cruise is not for us! We all know that Carnival is known to be on the lower end of cruises (sorry if I inflame carnival loyalist) however others love them but Carnival is not voted the best cruise line only the biggest so Im sure other cruises have miscomings also! I don't love one cruise line (they don't pay me to cruise) so I like to know positives and negatives of all cruise ships and I make my choice to try different ones, thats the beauty of having the money to vacation!! Thank you for reporting your experiences!