Breeze vs Magic

I am looking at a cruise for March 2019, and I have decided on an Eastern Caribbean to Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk. The itineraries are both the same, with the Breeze leaving on Saturday from Port Canaveral, and Magic leaving on Sunday from Miami. Total difference between the two cruises is $260 (including airfare). What would you do?

I have sailed them both. Deck plans are nearly identical, as are bells and whistles, eating options, entertainment.

The Breeze has a decor that I find more pleasing, and the Thrill Theatre if you're traveling with youngsters or the young at heart.

For the price difference I would take the less expensive, unless the choice of departure port makes a difference to you.

I'd agree with Bury Me At Sea (but then again, I almost always agree with their posts!)

2 things I've found about the ports- Port Canaveral is very convenient and slick for embark/debark, one of the best I've experienced. If you're flying into Orlando for PC, transportation is a bit more complex than Miami... but there are still tons of options for you.

Miami however has one of the most scenic sailaways- I love watching the marina, then South Beach as we sail out of the port...

I'd agree with Bury Me At Sea (but then again, I almost always agree with their posts!)

 

2 things I've found about the ports- Port Canaveral is very convenient and slick for embark/debark, one of the best I've experienced. If you're flying into Orlando for PC, transportation is a bit more complex than Miami... but there are still tons of options for you.

 

Miami however has one of the most scenic sailaways- I love watching the marina, then South Beach as we sail out of the port...

OP, I concur with all of the above. The only other sail-out I've found as pleasing as Miami is Tampa, but only the smaller ships can get in and out of there. Embarking thru Port Canaveral is a breeze, but Orlando airport is an hour away -- straight shot on an interstate, but lots of miles. But Miami is far more populous and can be tough to navigate, so all in all I'd say that "getting there" is a toss-up.

To date, Breeze is the only cruise ship I've called "beautiful". The glitter is toned way down, the Lido cafe is a unique (= interesting) arrangement, and I believe it offers all the same bells and whistles as Magic.

So there's my vote: Breeze. I'll be sailing Magic soon and my opinion might change a mite, but for now that's it.

I am looking at a cruise for March 2019, and I have decided on an Eastern Caribbean to Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk. The itineraries are both the same, with the Breeze leaving on Saturday from Port Canaveral, and Magic leaving on Sunday from Miami. Total difference between the two cruises is $260 (including airfare). What would you do?

When accounting the price difference, add the cost of travel from Orlando, if that's your airport of choice, to Port Canaveral. Travel time is about one hour.

For that reason alone, I would choose Magic from Miami.

I was in the same decision making process... I chose the Magic out of Miami for March of 2019..

The Breeze is a wonderful ship, but we like leaving out of MIA/FLL.. there are a lot more families on board for March Break out of Port Canaveral.. not that that is a bad thing, it was just one of the factors in our choice.

I also much preferred leaving out of Miami vs Canaveral. I don't like that Canaveral is so far away from everything.

I was leaning towards the Breeze, as it has better decor. We also want an extra day after the cruise to "recover" (ie. do laundry, etc.). But it does seem kind of a far distance from the port to the airport.

I recently was making the same decision between the Magic and the Breeze and choose the Magic due to price and port (miami). Flights are cheaper with better times for me Pit to FLL and closer than port Canaveral (Orlando). I was on the Dream last year (which was awesome) so I would like to go on the Breeze eventually just as a total "Dream class" experience.

I was leaning towards the Breeze, as it has better decor. We also want an extra day after the cruise to "recover" (ie. do laundry, etc.). But it does seem kind of a far distance from the port to the airport.

Yes it's a distance, but... A few years ago (driving down) we overnighted at a nice LQ north of the FLL cruise port (this is just an anecdotal) we had arranged to leave our car at the motel. But the motel was about 20 miles north of the port, and they didn't offer a shuttle -- my bad, very poor planning, didn't realize how far from port the motel was. So we paid $45 for a taxi there, and then about the same on our return.

Again Orlando airport is a distance but there are several cruise shuttles from the airport that run all the time. They range from $16.99 upwards. And I've made that drive myself quite a few times, between the airport and Patrick AFB several miles south of Port Canaveral.

Personally, I always prefer a nice country drive to zig-zogging/slogging through big-city traffic. (This is driving myself, of course, not by taxi or other hired means.) Orlando to PC is pretty much the former, especially as compared to driving in Miami. All this is to say, just for posterity on this topic, that I personally would not allow the distance between OIP and PC to entirely dictate my decision between PC or Miami, or FLL.

Having sailed both ships, we prefer the Breeze hands down. Really a beautiful ship in the CCL fleet. Although both ships are similar in layout, the Breeze is newer and prettier to us. We also love the simplicity of the embarkation/debarkation process from Port Canaveral over any other port. However, what all the other posters are saying is true. It is harder to get to Port Canaveral from the Orlando airport. We always rent a car and it is an easy ride. That being said, the choice is yours regarding a price difference etc. Just our opinion!

add in the cost of getting to either ship and go with the one that is cheaper. Essentially both are the same ship

add in the cost of getting to either ship and go with the one that is cheaper. Essentially both are the same ship

In layout' date=' quite similar.....in décor quite DIFFERENT!!! Magic is definitely very 'teal green' and old style CCL!!![/color']

Very little difference between the ships, variables are fare cost, transport cost to the port from the airport if one is flying in, and the time difference between travel to the seaport to and from the airport.

My preference is for Miami.

I do agree it is more scenic leaving Miami than Canaveral at sailaway. Just by serendipity, we did see the last blastoff of the Shuttle Discovery the only time we sailed out of Canaveral on the Disney Dream making that sight a special memory.

However, JMO, but sailing down the Hudson River along the NYC skyline or sailing past the Opera House in Sydney beats the Miami sailaway by many many nautical miles. Miami might be the most scenic Florida departure point, esp with South Beach on one side and Fisher Island on the other.

Breeze. Newer ship and my most favorite home port of Port Canaveral. :) Loved Magic the two times I went on her but am ready for Breeze to come to PC!

Breeze! PC is a much easier port for embark/debark. I hate Miami; the port and the city. Rude people there. If we hadn't promised the kids the Vista again I would never set foot in Miami again.

 

However, JMO, but sailing down the Hudson River along the NYC skyline or sailing past the Opera House in Sydney beats the Miami sailaway by many many nautical miles. Miami might be the most scenic Florida departure point, esp with South Beach on one side and Fisher Island on the other.

Asa former NYer agree with you about sailing down the Hudson but also think sailing into Stockholm and down the Mississippi are our three favorites

Sailed on the Breeze last year, and Magic this year. Prefer the Breeze hands down. Over all the Breeze feels much less crowded in my opinion, and decor is more appealing. It was the smoking on the Magic that really bothered me. Would not cruise on the Magic again for that reason. Smoking was allowed not only in the casino but outside common areas as well. The smell of smoke was even in the elevators. Have not experienced this on any other Carnival ship.

We have sailed both ships ,,Breeze is a lot nicer ship than the Magic , 2 Different designers did the décor on the ships ... Breeze is pastels , beachy theme ,,,Nicest ship Carnival has

I'm on the Breeze in March 2019. I've never been on the Breeze before but I've sailed the Magic and loved it. Since the Breeze is the same class I'm looking forward to checking her out. We get really cheap flights to Orlando so it was a no brainer for us. We always fly in the night before so getting to the port isn't really a big deal for us.

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Enjoy your cruise!

On 4/16/2018 at 11:28 AM, buddylover said:

Having sailed both ships, we prefer the Breeze hands down. Really a beautiful ship in the CCL fleet. Although both ships are similar in layout, the Breeze is newer and prettier to us. We also love the simplicity of the embarkation/debarkation process from Port Canaveral over any other port. However, what all the other posters are saying is true. It is harder to get to Port Canaveral from the Orlando airport. We always rent a car and it is an easy ride. That being said, the choice is yours regarding a price difference etc. Just our opinion!

Where do u return your rental car to?

Breeze over Magic any day. My last cruise was on the Carnival Magic we splurged on an Ocean suite and it was our then 3 year olds first cruise. We had a few family members go with us as well. It was hot everywhere the room. I had heard that the Magic was having HVAC issues so I brought a A/C temperature checker and the air was between 77 and 85 degrees coming out of the vent. I've never had a more hot and humid cabin on any ship,  any line. To top it off  it smelled like sewage in the and was musty. We still managed to enjoy our family vacation but it was enough to put me off. 

On 7/6/2019 at 10:50 AM, Palmetto Pilot said:

Breeze over Magic any day. My last cruise was on the Carnival Magic we splurged on an Ocean suite and it was our then 3 year olds first cruise. We had a few family members go with us as well. It was hot everywhere the room. I had heard that the Magic was having HVAC issues so I brought a A/C temperature checker and the air was between 77 and 85 degrees coming out of the vent. I've never had a more hot and humid cabin on any ship,  any line. To top it off  it smelled like sewage in the and was musty. We still managed to enjoy our family vacation but it was enough to put me off. 

Wow- sorry that was your experience! Did you report it to Guest Services? Glad you were able to enjoy your cruise anyway- a hot, humid cabin is no fun!

18 minutes ago, Shaded Lady said:

Wow- sorry that was your experience! Did you report it to Guest Services? Glad you were able to enjoy your cruise anyway- a hot, humid cabin is no fun!

Oh yea of course we did, but Carnivals acceptable A/C temperature range is ridiculous like 75-85 degrees, so as long as it's in that margin it's acceptable to them. Honestly the worst thing was the minimal airflow because the room was so humid and musty. We never had a problem like this on the breeze...or fantasy for that matter. 

On 4/16/2018 at 3:57 PM, buddylover said:

 

In layout' date=' quite similar.....in décor quite DIFFERENT!!! Magic is definitely very 'teal green' and old style CCL!!![/color']

Obviously this is very subjective, but I prefer the decor on Magic. I like both ships  and just got off Breeze yesterday. There is just way too much yellow on Breeze for my taste. I know not everyone feels this way, but I prefer the Joe Farcus designed ships, over Breeze, Vista and Horizon, which to me are pretty boring decor wise.