Carnival Magic out of Galveston-- Good fit?

[travelinstyle4]

Hello,

 

I am a mid-twenties female planning to travel with a (platonic) mid-twenties male friend and we are considering the Carnival Magic sailing on May 4. I have never cruised with Carnival before and would love any and all helpful information. We are planning to get an interior stateroom and be out of the room most of the time (budget constraints).

 

The only comparison I have is a Royal Caribbean ship from the late 90's when I was 10 and the Emerald Princess in February 2012. Is a Carnival comparable size and activities-wise? I've also heard that Carnival tends to attract a younger crowd, is this true?

 

We both like to dress up, will the dress code be followed, or will we be in the minority if we are in gowns/suits?

 

We are also considering the Navigator of the Seas sailing on the same day. Both look very interesting. No idea how people make the decision other than based on price.

 

I apologize for the random questions. Any help would be great.

 

Thank you in advance!

[Cruisin' Cool CAT]

LOVE the Magic!!! I'm late 30s and have noticed on all Carnival ships there's a large age range...

I say go for it, this is a fabulous ship...have fun! :D

[Mekamax]

We also choose based on ports. CCL Magic alternates routes and the RCL Navigator has the same route. Also if you want the same route on each you might look at how long each ship is in port at each port. The ships are so different with good on both. The crowd will probably be much younger on CCL and the dress code more enforced on Royal Caribbean. If you haven't sailed on one of the RCL ships with the open area down the whole middle of the ship they are very impressive! With the ice skating rink too on RCL and the ice shows and being able to get to the very tip of the bow like Titanic. :D CCL Magic has the water slides and water park which are alot of fun and personally I like the food on CCL better as it has more taste and less bland than RCL but that is so subjective to taste as some prefer RCL... CCL does offer alternate free food venues at lunch like Tandorri Indian Food area and the Mongolian Grill area and I think they have the Burrito Bar on the CCL Magic now not sure...

[CoconutJD]

You might not see as much of the younger demographic on a May cruise, especially early May. Much of the younger crowd sails during the summer and spring break times.

[MichelleChell]

I am local and have done both the Magic and a Royal ship out of Galveston. We were kinda bored on the Royal ship and had a blast on the Magic. I say for someone in mid twenties go for Magic!

This is coming rom a family that used to love cruising Royal too.

[Shaded Lady]

I was looking at the same 2 cruises but for different reasons. We finally decided Magic because it has so much more to offer us that we enjoy- better food, better layout of the ship, extra-curricular activities. DH & I are not Flow-rider or rock wall people.

 

Plus I find the people on Carnival infinitely interesting!

[stargate fan]

You might not see as much of the younger demographic on a May cruise, especially early May. Much of the younger crowd sails during the summer and spring break times.

 

I think the MUCH younger crowd (mostly school-aged kids) sails during the summer and spring break. The OP is in her mid-20's.

[Aggiebuttercup]

I think you will enjoy the Magic. I definitely enjoyed Carnival better than Princess, and it compared pretty evenly to my memories of Royal Caribbean over a decade ago.

 

I do like the Navigator of the Seas layout better than the Magic's, but the Magic was a good vacation for us.

[geezersgirl]

I sailed on the Magic in January and honestly I will not sail out of Texas again if I can help it. While I met some nice people it was by far the most rude and obnoxious bunch I have ever cruised with. I cruised with family from Texas and even they kept apologizing saying "not all Texans are like these people." The ship itself is great and I have sailed on her twice now but I will avoid sailing out of Texas again, that is if I can even talk my husband into cruising again. I am sure I will take a lot of crap for this but it is how I feel.

[Jenny in TX]

We sailed the Magic in February 2013 and loved it! Would not hesitate to sail on her again!

[MichelleChell]

I sailed on the Magic in January and honestly I will not sail out of Texas again if I can help it. While I met some nice people it was by far the most rude and obnoxious bunch I have ever cruised with. I cruised with family from Texas and even they kept apologizing saying "not all Texans are like these people." The ship itself is great and I have sailed on her twice now but I will avoid sailing out of Texas again, that is if I can even talk my husband into cruising again. I am sure I will take a lot of crap for this but it is how I feel.

 

How do you know it was "Texans" that were the rude ones? People come from all over to cruise. They could have been from anywhere.

[geezersgirl]

How do you know it was "Texans" that were the rude ones? People come from all over to cruise. They could have been from anywhere.

 

Well since they identified themselves as Texans, ie, "this elevator is for texans only" and shouting out " this is Texas's cruise if you aren't from Texas then get off" Just a couple of examples. There were some that were way worse. Also, as I said we have met many wonderful people from Texas and were cruising with family from there. I am sure there also many rude Californians too and I wouldn't want to cruise with them either. This was just so over the top awful in so many ways.

[zrxchic]

We loved the magic. Now, I'll say that we are early 40s and are quite laid back. Not too much bothers us. We loved everyone who worked on the ship...we enjoyed the shows and the food was excellent. It was our first cruise and we are hooked (sailing on the Dream in 3 months). The Magic also has the ropes course if you want that kind of fun. I'll say that I just laughed as I stood in line...40 year old and everyone ahead and behind me in ,ine was probably under 10....but it was one of those "I have to do this" kind of things.

 

On elegant nights, we saw lots of sparkly gowns and tuxedos....and some not quite as fancy. It is quite a mix as far as the crowd goes, but we truly had an amazing time. I bet you will love it!

 

 

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[MichelleChell]

Well since they identified themselves as Texans, ie, "this elevator is for texans only" and shouting out " this is Texas's cruise if you aren't from Texas then get off" Just a couple of examples. There were some that were way worse. Also, as I said we have met many wonderful people from Texas and were cruising with family from there. I am sure there also many rude Californians too and I wouldn't want to cruise with them either. This was just so over the top awful in so many ways.

 

Oh well thats terrible and gives us good Texans a bad name. I hope you give us another chance because I think we have some of the nicest people.

Then you have the idiots that you mentioned. I call them the people of Walmart that got out! LOL

Edited February 25, 2014 by MichelleChell