Which Cruise?

[CruisingCaity16]

Magic 7 day to Cozumel, Belize, Mohogany Bay

Freedom 7 day to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay

Liberty 5 day to Cozumel, Progresso

 

2 Single 28 year old ladies

 

I cruised once back in 2009, my friend has never cruised and is the instigator of this trip.

 

The Magic would require some sacrifices in terms of scheduling that I'm not sure are really worth it.

 

In all honesty, I've considered trying to talk here into stretching the budget for Royal Carribean after all I have read about how far down hill Carnival has gone in terms of evening entertainment and foodie. We are both foodies and enjoy the musical type shoes and the reviews of Carnival dining & lack of shows makes me think we may not enjoy it.

[Indytraveler83]

Magic 7 day to Cozumel, Belize, Mohogany Bay

Freedom 7 day to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay

Liberty 5 day to Cozumel, Progresso

 

In all honesty, I've considered trying to talk here into stretching the budget for Royal Carribean after all I have read about how far down hill Carnival has gone in terms of evening entertainment and foodie. We are both foodies and enjoy the musical type shoes and the reviews of Carnival dining & lack of shows makes me think we may not enjoy it.

My rankings:

1) Magic: 7 days, best ship, good itinerary.

2 Freedom:Still 7 days, good itinerary too

3) Liberty: only 5 days and Progresso is worthless. You'd only have 1 good port.

 

As far as Carnival vs RC, don't let the Carnival complaints fool you. Carnival sails more ships than anyone, and therefore it has the most complaints. RC does some things Carnival does not, but most people are very happy whichever line they choose.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Indytraveler83
Spelling

[sg4crzn]

I prefer the Magic but wouldn't pass on Freedom either. I like all the islands. No complaints on Carnival at all. Some are more critical than others. Carnival is the most fun on sea days hanging at the pool deck than other cruise lines I've been on.

[iggycc]

Have you looked at the Breeze. I think it is their best ship. Sailing on her again on Feb 7. Sailed on her last year and was impressed by the service, food and entertainment.

 

If you are a foodie check out the chef's table

[wantocruisemore]

1st choice Magic (if you would be going after the March drydock) and 2nd Freedom.

 

I've been in both lines and think Carnival has the edge in food. They have a lot more free venue selections and some great pay options.

 

While I enjoyed shows on RCCL it was only by a little. Then afterward there was really nothing else worth doing while Carnival has live entertainment scattered around the ship.

Edited January 27, 2016 by wantocruisemore

[Tapi]

Magic first, Freedom second and Liberty third.

 

If you're a foodie, you either need to adjust your expectations before you even set foot on the ship, or look for another cruise line. The fact that one of the things that people rave the most about Carnival are guy's burgers should better frame your expectations. IMHO, Royal's food quality is similar to Carnival's, but a lot of people will debate whose food tastes better. I don't think that there's a clear winner here. Simply, Carnival has some things that taste better while Royal has some things that taste better. What I do find is that Royal offers a few more innovative, out of the ordinary, and health conscious options, which may not be appreciated by those who will try to convince you to go on Carnival because their burgers and burritos are so good. Whether you pick Carnival or Royal, I would set a budget aside to visit alternative dining venues where quality is superior, and the food is more in tune with what foodies may enjoy.

 

Entertainment is much more clear cut. Royal's entertainment is by far the clear winner. To me, Carnival's main entertainment is something to kill time after dinner while Royal's entertainment is something to truly look forward to and the highlight of the night. It's very professional and it rivals quality entertainment on land.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Tapi

[JLBellaCC]

Royal and Carnival both have strong points and drawbacks. We just got off the Dream and we thought the entertainment was quite good- not really the production shows but the comedy club and the individual bands/singers were very good. If you are a foodie- cruise lines overall are tough, they are serving such large groups of people so much per day with limited resources, I think you are doing well if your cruise food tasted "pretty good"- haha. We never go hungry, nearly always gain some weight, but rarely are we blown away. I would choose the ship with the itinerary that interests you the most- even if it complicates your schedule a bit- it will be worth it. Enjoy!

[dmdiver]

Love all 3 ships. Not a fan of anything less than 7 days.

 

Magic has the ropes course and good water slides. Does not have an adult pool. It did not have Guy's Burgers last year, but if it's going into dry dock maybe they will add it.

 

Freedom has Guy's Burgers, no ropes course, but has an adult pool.

 

Liberty has Guy's Burgers and an adult pool, no ropes. It's been a long time since I've been on that one.

 

I enjoy the food in the dining room - buffet is ok. I like Guy's Burgers and the Blue Iguana taco/burrito spot, too.

 

Love the comedy clubs.

 

Red Frog Pub is a good place to hang out on Magic.

 

Maybe you should just book back to back to back so you can compare all three!

[Papa_Bear_]

Sounds like you're going out of Galveston after the Liberty arrives and before the Magic leaves. I prefer the longer cruises. The DW and I have taken both of the seven days from Galveston, one on the Magic and one on the Freedom. We enjoyed the Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel more on the Freedom but had a great time on the Magic going to the other ports. I think your faced with a win, win, and win choice. Whichever you choose have a great time!

Don't worry about the bad press, everyone gets it. If you read the reviews you will see a 1 start and a 5 star from the same cruise from cabins next to each other, it happened on our last cruise with the people in the next cabin. To hear them we had to take turns rowing and were only feed gruel once a day. While we could not have been happier. Go expecting a great time and don't sweat the small stuff, if any.

 

P.S. Freedom has the 2.0 upgrades while the Magic doesn't have them yet. That basically means more free food choices such as Guy's hamburgers. 79 days and counting. [emoji14]

Edited January 27, 2016 by Papa_Bear_

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Magic first, Freedom second and Liberty third.

 

If you're a foodie, you either need to adjust your expectations before you even set foot on the ship, or look for another cruise line. The fact that one of the things that people rave the most about Carnival are guy's burgers should better frame your expectations. IMHO, Royal's food quality is similar to Carnival's, but a lot of people will debate whose food tastes better. I don't think that there's a clear winner here. Simply, Carnival has some things that taste better while Royal has some things that taste better. What I do find is that Royal offers a few more innovative, out of the ordinary, and health conscious options, which may not be appreciated by those who will try to convince you to go on Carnival because their burgers and burritos are so good. Whether you pick Carnival or Royal, I would set a budget aside to visit alternative dining venues where quality is superior, and the food is more in tune with what foodies may enjoy.

 

Entertainment is much more clear cut. Royal's entertainment is by far the clear winner. To me, Carnival's main entertainment is something to kill time after dinner while Royal's entertainment is something to truly look forward to and the highlight of the night. It's very professional and it rivals quality entertainment on land.

 

spot on! Couldn't agree more with everything you stated.:)

 

Bill

[wantocruisemore]

P.S. Freedom has the 2.0 upgrades while the Magic doesn't have them yet. That basically means more free food choices such as Guy's hamburgers. 79 days and counting. [emoji14]

 

Magic is getting the 2.0 upgrades in March drydock. This includes Guys, Blue Iguana Cantina, Alchemy Bar, and the tequila and rum bars.

[marshhawk]

3) Liberty: only 5 days and Progresso is worthless. You'd only have 1 good port.

 

I disagree- I feel that Progreso is a very important port, if you are interested in Mayan ruins. We have visited Uxmal, and Chichen Itza. This is the closest port to reach these important historical sites.

 

Carnival is also increasing the number of beach escapes away from the city, so to see Mexico, as it is, not as a tourist spot, and the worlds longest pier, Progreso is a must.

[CruisingCaity16]

1st choice Magic (if you would be going after the March drydock) and 2nd Freedom.

.

 

When is the dry dock? We were looking at the March 27th sailing.

[Papa_Bear_]

When is the dry dock? We were looking at the March 27th sailing.

 

 

Looks like the dry dock is the last of Feb first of March. All of your choices should have the 2.0 upgrades for your cruise.

[BenjiRodney]

We loved the Breeze and it's size and all it had to offer, so it made sense for use to do the Magic this year. Did splurge today and book the Vista as well.

[sanmarcosman]

It would be the Magic and then Freedom for us.

[CruisingCaity16]

I found some sources that said the dry dock was pushed to April/May. The Breeze is coming in to replace the Magic's itinerary.