Change from Glory to Magic???

[wantocruisemore]

Normally I have no problems deciding on ship/itinerary, but I am having second thoughts this time around.

Currently booked on Glory out of Miami. Because of distance means we will need to fly. I can get a direct early morning flight from NC to Miami for under $200 roundtrip. I have not purchased yet because those flights are not available for booking this far out yet. I really prefer the convenience of driving though because between our 3 sets of snorkel gear and my DH's cp machine, that takes up 1 piece of luggage. You have to pay for checked bags. Alternative airlines that don't charge do not have an early enough flight and we would need to spend the night.

We want the Eastern route with San Juan and St. thomas. Magic out of PC does that same route except Magic goes to the new port of Amber Cove instead of HMC with Glory. Not thrilled about Amber Cove at all, if did that it would just be a morning of looking around port shops and then rest of day on ship. If HMC a cabana.

We also love balconies and seeing the water. When we cruise from PC we can drive.

Before I found out about Magics drydock, it was no brainier since the 2.0 features are our favorite. Now understand from JH that Magic is to get Guys and Cantina and Alchemy. That makes it hard.

 

What are the balconies on Magic like? Is there a recommended floor? I normally get 8th so I can run up to Lido but Magic is different design from past ships.

What to do????? I can't wait til March to decide because then if stay with Glory the cheap flights will be gone.

[firemanbobswife]

Never been on the Magic, but have been on Glory 5 times and love HMC. If you don't want to pay baggage fees, get the airline of your choice's credit card. You can get one free checked bag per person as long as they are all booked at the same time and under the same reservation as you. I refuse to pay bag fees and haven't in years. Never keep a balance on any of my cards, either. Love the perks. Also check out any sign up bonuses they may be offering. You may be able to get a free ticket out of the deal as well.

[pirate4me2]

We just made the same exact switch from Glory next Halloween to Magic. I despise flying, and I love Port Canaveral, so it was an easy choice for me when I found out Magic was getting 2.0 upgrades.

[okgirl]

The Magic is my 2nd favorite ship next to the Breeze and I'm thrilled that the Breeze is coming to my homeport.

 

The Magic after 2.0 upgrades will be even better.

 

I would avoid a balcony on deck 6 because of the proximity to the exterior promenade on deck 5. Also avoid deck 9 because on the Magic the Lido is on deck 10 and you don't want to be under the Lido.

 

I would also choose a starboard side of the ship, since the exterior smoking areas are on the port side.

[13cheermom]

This is kind of ironic, because we too just changed our Vista booking to Magic for the same reasons. Also being from NC is the choice of flying to Miami or driving to PC, which I love PC and eating at Fishlips and watching sailaway the day before. Want to sail on the Vista but price difference ($1000 more for same room) was ridiculous for the southern caribbean itinerary versus Magic with same itinerary. My PVP said the Magic is really nice and will be even better after drydock. From what she said it is laid out the same as the Breeze and just has one extra floor Deck 9 of cabin space. We too like to stay on Deck 7 on most conquest type ships to be a couple of floors beneath Lido, so I picked Deck 8 thinking this will be the same scenario. My PVP also suggested waiting for the Vista for 2017 and maybe prices will be more reasonable after the "newness" wears off. Also it's just nice not having to deal with airfare if at all possible, but I would never drive to Miami. :eek: Good Luck on your choice and happy sailing!

[wantocruisemore]

Never been on the Magic, but have been on Glory 5 times and love HMC. If you don't want to pay baggage fees, get the airline of your choice's credit card. You can get one free checked bag per person as long as they are all booked at the same time and under the same reservation as you. I refuse to pay bag fees and haven't in years. Never keep a balance on any of my cards, either. Love the perks. Also check out any sign up bonuses they may be offering. You may be able to get a free ticket out of the deal as well.

 

Good idea about credit card, but it's American and I just checked. They charge $95 a year for card, although first 12 months waived. I refuse to pay for a credit card.

 

Leaning to changing.

[pirate4me2]

This is kind of ironic, because we too just changed our Vista booking to Magic for the same reasons. Also being from NC is the choice of flying to Miami or driving to PC, which I love PC and eating at Fishlips and watching sailaway the day before. Want to sail on the Vista but price difference ($1000 more for same room) was ridiculous for the southern caribbean itinerary versus Magic with same itinerary. My PVP said the Magic is really nice and will be even better after drydock. From what she said it is laid out the same as the Breeze and just has one extra floor Deck 9 of cabin space. We too like to stay on Deck 7 on most conquest type ships to be a couple of floors beneath Lido, so I picked Deck 8 thinking this will be the same scenario. My PVP also suggested waiting for the Vista for 2017 and maybe prices will be more reasonable after the "newness" wears off. Also it's just nice not having to deal with airfare if at all possible, but I would never drive to Miami. :eek: Good Luck on your choice and happy sailing!

 

We love eating at Fishlips the day before sailing! It's a great tradition for us.

[KPfromCT]

Looking forward to sailing on the Magic out of PC in July.

We have been on the Breeze twice now, and she's our favorite ship.

Well, since she's off to TX, the next logical ship is Magic, and now with the 2.0 upgrades, it's a no brainer.:D:D

 

We also are flying in the day before and was looking forward to an early dinner at Fishlips to watch the ships sail away, but after looking at their menu, I was kind of disappointed in their seafood selection.:confused: No clams, lobster, crabcakes? Maybe because I am from New England:confused:

 

Regardless, we'll have a great cruise and we cannot wait.:D

[jlocole]

I have a mid-ship deck 9 balcony booked on Magic.

Do you suggest I change to deck 8 or deck 11 because of lido noise?

 

I agree with other posters: change cruise from Glory to Magic so you can drive.

On Amber Cove day you can enjoy a quiet ship or go to the ports pool area.

[firemanbobswife]

Good idea about credit card, but it's American and I just checked. They charge $95 a year for card, although first 12 months waived. I refuse to pay for a credit card.

 

 

 

Leaning to changing.

 

 

Annual fees do stink, but they can pay for themselves many times over. First year free. Get your sign up bonus and that's enough for a free round trip - value varies but worth at least a couple hundred dollars. $25pp bag fee each way waived. For a family of 4 that's $200 round trip for one cruise. You can always cancel it in a year, and you are already way ahead of the game.

 

This is one of the cards that I have. I get to go in the Priority line and that made the difference between me getting rebooked on another flight when mine was cancelled and the next flight was almost full vs not and then I would have missed my cruise. It was announced at the gate that our flight was cancelled and we all had to go back down to the ticket desk. My flight was totally full to MIA and with my cc (it prints "Priority" on your boarding pass allowing you to use the Priority check in line) I was #2 to get rebooked on a US Air flight that night. There weren't many seats and not everyone from my flight made it. This was the day before and the flights the next day were totally full being it was Mother's Day. Saved my butt that time and was well worth the measly $95. Yes I had insurance, and no I wouldn't have been happy filing a claim and sailing at a later date. Too hard to get vacation time. Note: This is not a listed perk on the website but each time I have flown AA since having the card, it has said "Priority" and it's not where the boarding group is. That says ""Group 1". In MIA when they see my boarding pass, they open the rope and let me in the Priority check in as well. I do not have a higher FF status with them so it has to be the card. Did not fly first class or have upgraded seats, either.

 

Get it now and decide in a year of it's worth it. At least you'll have a free ticket at no charge, free bags, priority boarding, etc for your flights this time. And, no, getting one card will not make a terrible dent in your credit score.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Edited November 15, 2015 by firemanbobswife

[Cruisegirl6]

The Dream is our favorite Carnival ship, in April we going on her sister ship the Magic because we so much loved the Dream, and the Magic goes into try dock and also gets updated items, you must go on the Magic its a must!

[13cheermom]

I have a mid-ship deck 9 balcony booked on Magic.

Do you suggest I change to deck 8 or deck 11 because of lido noise?

 

I agree with other posters: change cruise from Glory to Magic so you can drive.

On Amber Cove day you can enjoy a quiet ship or go to the ports pool area.

 

I would definitely go for Deck 8 instead. We are going on the Breeze in a couple of weeks and chose Deck 8 for that reason exactly. We usually choose aft area balconies but still like the closeness to lido without being right below the noise. My PVP suggested that area as well since Breeze and Magic are played out the same. Seems like Magic is becoming a popular ship now since it's moving to PC.