Galveston: Carnival Magic or Mariner of the Sea?

[mehranduh]

Hey there! First time poster, first time cruiser... hope I'm doing this correctly. :)

 

We're hoping to do a honeymoon cruise leaving from Galveston, perhaps spring 2013. It looks like the two longer cruises we have to pick from are Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas and the Carnival Magic.

 

Between the two of these, any frequent Galveston sailors have recommendations on which would be better for a romantic getaway?

[CGBCruiser]

Hey there! First time poster, first time cruiser... hope I'm doing this correctly. :)

 

We're hoping to do a honeymoon cruise leaving from Galveston, perhaps spring 2013. It looks like the two longer cruises we have to pick from are Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas and the Carnival Magic.

 

Between the two of these, any frequent Galveston sailors have recommendations on which would be better for a romantic getaway?

 

My vote is for Mariner!!!

[mehranduh]

I just actually realized that Princess Cruises leaves from Galveston as well! Perhaps I should add that to the mix?

[bighairtexan]

I'd vote Princess. I'm doing Mariner because I got a super duper deal compared w/ Princess or even Carnival. If Princess were close to the same price I'd have chosen them.

 

However if you're into night life, and prefer a more active vacation (rock climbing walls, skating) then RCI.

 

But Princess is, IMHO, a bit more sophisticated and quiet. Better food and better service; great for relaxation. Not as much night life as you'd find on either Carnival or Royal Caribbean, however.

 

So I guess it depends on what you're looking for and what your priorities in a cruise would be. Happy honeymoon.

[diamondgypsy]

I have actually done all 3 lines and heres what I found:

 

Carnival is great if your in your 20's. Lot of young people and college students, and the service is average. We did a 4 day out of LA on Carnival because RCI is no longer there. Carnival for us is a perfect weekend getaway. Not sure I could do more then that on this cruise line.

 

Royal Caribbean is more of the 30's-40's crowd. More family oriented people choose RCI and the service is great. This is the cruise line my husband and I choose most of the time. On this line we have done anything from 4 days to 17 days and have never once regretted it.

 

Princess Cruises...when i was on the I was the youngest person on the cruise and I was 33 at the time. Very much a retired type of people/cruisers. I have only been on them once but that was enough for me. Its possible its changed since then. Service was great.

 

All 3 ships were just beautiful and the crew awesome. Like the person before me said it really is what you and your future spouse are looking for. Cruising for us is the only way we vacation. My DH refuses to vacation any other way. According to him, where else can you go for 7 or more days and see so much!

 

Good luck, have a great time and congrats on your upcoming wedding!

[mehranduh]

This is great advice! Thank you so much! :) I'm so glad I asked.

 

I think we might try RCI for our first cruise, as it seems kind of somewhere between Carnival and Princess. That way we can feel out if we want something more or less active.

[Shekim]

Hey there! First time poster, first time cruiser... hope I'm doing this correctly. :)

 

We're hoping to do a honeymoon cruise leaving from Galveston, perhaps spring 2013. It looks like the two longer cruises we have to pick from are Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas and the Carnival Magic.

 

Between the two of these, any frequent Galveston sailors have recommendations on which would be better for a romantic getaway?

If you are going to book be aware of school holidays/breaks when you are looking. Spring can be pretty crowded depending on when. Also, March and April are nicer going out of Galveston. You won't have to worry about the fog which can cause great havoc when cruising.

[DALSAL]

I have done all three, and LOVED all 3! Ive been on Magic 2 times and Mariner 3 times. Only once on Princess, and it was a really bad experience, but I would definitely cruise with them again! Just havent had the opportunity, but with them coming back to Galveston, Im sure I will.

 

The Mariner is one of my favorite ships! I did her once from California and twice here in Galveston. Its more quiet than the Magic. I think the food is about the same. Im kinda hard to please, so I dont eat as often in the dining room. I LOVE the seaside bbq on the Magic. I would eat there every day if it was open(only on sea days).

 

If you want more action, choose the Magic. I have not and will not do the rope course! :eek:In my younger years, yes!

 

Any cruise will be wonderful!! Have fun. Dot

[helicopter]

I have done both and both have the 'good/better' thing. Personally I would go with the Magic.

[duncan449]

Last December we took our Christmas cruise on Mariner, and it was amazing. I've been on 2 Royal Caribbean cruises and both times the staff was extremely nice, I don't know how they do it, but most of them remembered our names!

Our first cruise was for our Honeymoon, and they held a private party for all of the honeymooners. Lots of fun.

 

We are going on our first Carnival cruise next month - partly because I want to see how different it is from RC, and mostly because it was the cheaper/better destination that fit our time period this year. :)

[Bruin Steve]

This thread is a bit old...and I see the OP has made their selection--Royal Caribbean...and, IMHO, it IS the best choice...

 

But, for the sake of anyone else reading this thread, I'll add my two cents...

 

I have now been on well over thirty cruises and have cruised on seven different cruise lines...

 

I think that everyone has different criteria, different standards, different expectations when it comes to choosing cruise lines...

 

Many people start with a particular cruise line, enjoy it...and keep on going back...even if they eventually try something else, often their standards and expectations have been shaped by their ingrained experience...

 

Others try different lines and, eventually, come to an opinion as to which line suits them best...

 

All of the cruise lines do a lot of the same things...some do some better, others worse...Often, the differences are subtle, sometimes they are blatant--but, it really depends on what you are looking for or looking at...and what you expect...

 

Depending on what is important to you, you may rank the lines differently...

 

For ME, I value space and comfort first, service next, food, atmosphere...and down the line...

My kids are now grown--I used to value the kids' programs when they were younger (We're taking them with us on Mariner in a couple of weeks--but they're now 26 and 28)...

 

There's also a question as to what you want in a cruise..."party all the time" versus a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere...

 

Anyway, after 30-some-odd cruises, my favorite is......Celebrity...Of course, they are not doing this route...But, where Celebrity wins out is in space and service...Another favorite is Oceania--who also don't do this route...again, space and service are major pluses...Oceania is a bit more costly though...

 

But my reason for bringing those lines up here is my methodology for rating cruise lines and ships...

There are two measurables one can look at--

The "space-per-passenger" ratio and the "crew-per-passenger" ratio...

You can figure out space-per-passenger by taking the full occupancy total of the ship and dividing it into the gross tonnage...Gross tonnage is a measure of space or volume, not of weight...So this measure, basically, tells you how much space there is per each passenger...The higher the number, the roomier the ship...It also affects things like lines and waits for tenders and other factors...Also, if you can find the seating capacity for the showroom, it will give you an idea as to how much of a hassle it will be to get seats for the show...

Crew-per-passenger gives you an idea as to how many crew members are dedicated to serving each passenger...

 

These ratios are not 100% telling...Crew numbers also include non-customer service personnel...The space numbers don't tell you how much of that space is in public areas versus non-public areas...BUT, they are a good measure...

 

Most of the rest of the typical criteria are more subjective...

Food is most often a matter of personal taste...You can give some people high cost food items cooked by master chefs--but, if it's not a recipe THEY like, they will think the food is disappointing...

 

Another place one can see clear differences is in the ships' amenities...Royal Caribbean, typically, blows other cruise lines away in this regard...Everyone has a pool or two...and jacuzzis...and a casino... a spa...a show room...a buffet...On its larger newer ships, Royal Caribbean has Ice Rinks, Surfing Pools, Zip Lines, Carousels, Rock Climbing Walls, Miniature Golf, Golf Simulators, Water Amphitheaters and more...Of course, the Mariner of the Seas is a little smaller than RCCL's newest ships--so it doesn't have the Surfing Pools, Zip Line or Carousel...but it does have the Ice Rink, the Rock Climbing Wall and more...Of course, this is where personal style comes in--not everyone wants to ice skate or rock climb...but, there are benefits for those of you, too--with the ice rink comes a pretty good figure skating show...and these amenities do keep the younger set entertained--so the bars and lounges are not as much impacted by kids...

 

Of the three lines cruising out of Galveston, IMHO, Royal Caribbean is clearly the best...We've cruised twice prior on Mariner of the Seas and again, IMHO, she is a beautiful, well-designed ship...

 

I am not quite as pleased with Princess as some...I don't think the Princess ships are well laid-out--they tend to be difficult to get around in with decks that don't "go through"...and the showrooms are far too small for the capacity, so shows are overcrowded and one has to show up way too early for a seat...They also don't manage their traditional dining/anytime dining as well as RCCL does...But, they are an overall pleasant, sort of "middle-of-the-road" cruise...

 

Carnival, IMHO, is the absolute bottom of the barrel in cruising...Their ships have the poorest design--narrow main walkways, not good pedestrian traffic flow...service is fairly poor compared to other lines...partly due to the overcrowded main dining rooms--with an overuse of booths and tables too close together--as well as more passengers per waiter...The ships are among the most crowded in the industry...Not only are the space-per-passenger ratios far too low, but, due to their marketing, they fill up far more third and fourth berths than anyone else--since they attract a lot of families on budgets and younger people looking to get the most for their money...So, on Carnival, never look at the "Double Occupancy" numbers, rather the "full occupancy" numbers--which are high...

 

OTOH, SOME people love Carnival...Why? They give you what they promise...You get lots of food...and "fun"...Of course, it all depends on your definitition of fun...For Carnival, "fun" means a lot of activity...and late into the night...And, of course, that is what some people want in a cruise...To me, it's all crowds and noise...but, of course, some people want crowds and noise...and a low price...

 

So, the question is, "What do YOU want?"

There is a cruise line for everyone...

 

Of those leaving from Galveston, MY ranking is clear...

1) Royal Caribbean

2) Princess

3) (And "3" is being generous here and really only by default) Carnival

 

In fact, since I have to fly to Galveston anyway, the only reason I'm cruising here is for Royal Caribbean...If the choice were only Princess or Carnival, I'd fly somewhere else...

[Texas Tillie]

Of those leaving from Galveston, MY ranking is clear...

1) Royal Caribbean

2) Princess

3) (And "3" is being generous here and really only by default) Carnival

 

In fact, since I have to fly to Galveston anyway, the only reason I'm cruising here is for Royal Caribbean...If the choice were only Princess or Carnival, I'd fly somewhere else...

 

Don't forget that Disney is also sailing from Galveston. Also, in the fall, 2013 Princess moves to Bayport and NCL will be at Bayport in fall, 2014.