Tell Me What You Love About the Magic

[travelsuz]

We are a family of 7, parents in our 40s, and kids ranging in ages from 23-6. We have sailed Disney, Holland and Princess. We want to sail out of Galveston, because we can drive there and save a load of $ on not flying. Tell me what you love and don't love about the Carnival Magic. We are trying to narrow it down to one of the ships out of Galveston. Carnival Magic is currently the least expensive, but we are open to the NCL Jewell or RCCL Navigator or Princess. We are not drinkers, our little kids love the kids clubs, and we really just want to relax on a vacation. So let me know what you guys love on the Magic or the other ships I mentioned. THANKS!

[aggie182]

I liked that the Magic doesn't really feel super crowded in the public areas. It has a buttload of people on it but it but it doesn't feel like it. Other than people gathering in the casino to smoke and whatnot, it feels nice and spacious.

[Jenny in TX]

We loved the Magic. Our favorite area was the Red Frog Pub. They have a wonderful seating area outside with plenty of seating and they had cornhole and ring game you could play while sitting outside. The ship does not feel crowded at all. We were a party of 8 traveling together and we could always find seating together on the Lido during breakfast and lunch.

[gay head]

My husband and I are in our fortys snd we have sailed the Magic three times since we live in Houston.I love it it is my favorite ship.The cabins are larger than the other ships, they are well appointed, the beds are very comfortable and there is space for everything plus a smsll fridge.I love the serenity deck.The taste bar is great and you can taste different things .The red frog pub is fun and has good shrimp.They have a wine tasting in the steakhouse with food that was really good.There is so much to do I was almost sorry when we were in port.The library is good .I loved being able to workout while at sea.They have good showers in the spa .I used to take a shower there instead of the room.Its fun just exploring the ship.I also liked the kareoke.There is something for everyone.I never felt crowded even though the ship was fullThe children I saw were all having funTherr are also good shops in the arcade.They have clinique products .It is a pretty ship .

[travelsuz]

Thanks for your replies so far! I am happy to hear it does not feel crowded. That was one of my concerns with such a large ship.

[It's a Ship!!!]

I just got off the Magic last week. The red frog pub is a lot of fun. Even if you don't drink a lot they have live music there just about every day, and they have good Caribbean style snacks for $3.33 each. The comedy club on Carnival is a lot of fun, and they have both adult only shows and family friendly shows.

 

For kids they have the kids clubs as well as the ropes course, mini golf, basketball court, ping pong, etc. They also recently added the Seuss at Sea program, so they have the green eggs and ham breakfast and a character parade at some point during the cruise.

 

If you like Indian food, or are open to trying it, they have the Tandoor on the Lido deck aft, which is amazing. A lot of the Chefs on board are Indian, so it is definitely authentic.

 

Don't get me wrong, all of the cruise lines out of Galveston and Houston are great, and I'm even going on the Jewel in December, but I had a great time on the Magic.

[ABQrobin]

We were on the Magic last week. Our first cruise so keep that in mind.

 

Loved our Cove Balcony.

Loved that over 80% of guests were Texans and all of them were friendly and outgoing. The whole ship seemed warm and friendly, always upbeat. This included every crew member too.

Loved the roominess of the Magic, there were party areas and quiet areas...whatever you needed.

 

We plan to do another cruise from Galveston in winter or spring. The sooner the better!

[tkportersat]

Red Frog Pub is a nice hangout. Waterworks is a lot of fun for adults and kids alike! Steakhouse is nice for a dinner away from the kiddos (at least for us). Just a beautiful ship altogether, great service and food.

 

My only complaint is the Comedy shows....really fun but the line up to get into them is crazy.

[cowboy$fan]

Things we enjoy on the Magic are

 

Italian restaurant (free for lunch & $12 for dinner)

Cloud 9 Spa

Water slides

WCMC

Serenity Area

Red Frog Pub

Comedy shows

Casino

and the list could go on & on

 

Things we don't enjoy

 

No adult only pool

vacation is always over to fast ;)

[aggieljh]

My wife and I have sailed on the Magic the past two summers, and we love the ship. I agree with what others are saying, even with so many on board, it never really felt crowded.

[Rosethorn40]

I think of the ships sailing out of Texas it's the newest, and there is so much, or nothing to do. We loved the Cloud 9 Spa thermal suite, the Dive-In outdoor movie theater, the large hot tubs that jut over the sides on Deck 5, the Tasteing Bar, Trivia, Red Frog Pub. For a family it's a great choice.

[RaiderCruiser]

We were on the Magic last month and here's a quick reviews of likes and dislikes:( by the way we are in our 50's, no kids with us, don't drink much and enjoy the casino)

 

Likes:

*The workers were great. Especially Maria and her crew in the MDR.(Northern Lights)

*Anytime dining was perfect for us. Never waited to be seated, had the same staff every night(by request) and finished our meals at our pace in about an hour each night, much faster than standard.

*The Piano Bar was a lot of fun even for non-drinkers.

*Serenity area was super

*Mini golf, jogging track & work out facilities were very nice.

*Steak House was super.

*The Italian Restaurant was very good as well, nice break from the crowds in the MDR.

*The casino was good and so was the staff, but it is a smokers haven.

*FTTF was well worth it, but getting on and off the ship went much smoother than other trips we have taken out of Galveston.

 

 

 

Dislikes(that may be a bit strong, maybe just didn't enjoy as much as other cruises):

*Lido buffet at breakfast. Awful, not necessarily the food , but the crowd and the people. It was apparent many of these folks had not eaten in months and they looked like they wanted to recoup the cost of their cruise in BACON. OMG.(this helped the banter of "Walmart of the seas"

*Entertainment. With the exception of the Piano bar and Red Frog the rest was pretty weak. Only 2 stage shows for the week.

*Not enough seats for the movies under the stars.

*It did seem crowded at times in some of the common areas, but not a big deal.

*I didn't get the fascination with the new candy store. Find one at any mall in any city.

 

In all we really enjoyed the ship and the trip, but as always, it's as much as what you put into it that will make it an exceptional trip.

 

Hope you have a great time and you probably can't go wrong with any of your choices.

[MichelleChell]

Everything!!

[Badfinger]

We have been on the magic twice. I really really like the cloud nine spa room and the spa facilities. I think I spent 3 to 4 hours every day in the spa area. As other said the ship does not feel crowded at all. There is usually chairs available around the main pool except during the busiest times when there have been the silly contests. My family was always able to find an open treadmill in the gym. The food is hit or miss some is really good some is not so good and some I just don't care for that type of food. My favorites on the last cruise was the salmon in the main dining room the cheeseburgers at the grill and burritos from the burrito bar. We always find the main dining room relaxing in the evening, for breakfast and for the sea day brunch. The deck five lanai area is never crowded to the point of almost being empty. I thought the comedy shows were very good. Embarkation and debarkation goes very smoothly. Parking is extremely convenient. And getting into the port aside from a couple miles slow down on highway 45 is a piece a cake.

[malcriada24]

I thought there was an "Adult Only" pool. That's not good.

[DMH15]

Adults only area with hot tubs

[cruiser fanatic]

Magic is my 2nd favorite ship with Sunshine being my favorite. I like the Magic because of the awesome crew, activities, food, sports deck. The list can go on and on. There are two things I don't like about the Magic. 1. The lack of seating on the Promenade deck, unless you want to sit outside or in Ocean Plaza seating is pretty limited. I noticed the same thing on the Dream and Sunshine. 2. Shows. The shows on this ship are my least favorite of all the ships I have been on. With Magic being such a large ship Carnival does a great job with the crowding in public areas. You can't go wrong with the Magic.

Edited December 10, 2014 by cruiser fanatic

[azcruzers]

The ropes course was a lot of fun. No Guys burgers. The Oceanside bbq was delicious but only opened for lunch. The hot tubs sort of hang over the side of the ship. For some reason the french toast that was outside where they usually have burgers tasted much better than the what you get inside at the buffet. I liked the décor.

[Greatescapes]

The Magic is a great ship and is probably my favorite. There is so much to enjoy and like many others the ship never feels crowded. If you have children there is plenty for them to do and keep them entertained. Waterworks is a big hit with our daughter along with movies under the stars at night. The food, service and entertainment have always been top notch. If you have experienced the new playlist productions on some of the ships you may be let down a bit with these las veagas style review shows that are not at the level as the new ones. Something that is fun to see is the "Magic" show on the Magic. Some cruises are better than others but I have never been on a bad one.

[Catrin]

The Magic has been our favorite cruise.

 

Loved the red frog pub with live acoustic music every night

the ship never seemed crowded

the people were the friendliest of any cruise we have been on.

embarkation and debarkation were easy