Help me decide! Sunshine vs. Magic

[ugagal07]

There are 4 of us traveling in a balcony cabin. Myself, DH, DS will turn 4 on the cruise, & DD 2.

 

Should we pick:

1. Sunshine 8 day Southern Caribbean

-Aruba

-Bonaire

-Grand Turk

 

2. Magic 7 day Eastern Caribbean

-Puerto Rico

-Grand Turk

-St. Thomas

-Mahogany Bay

 

Price is about the same.

Yes one is an extra day, but the other gets an extra port.

 

Which would you pick for a family of 4 with two small kids?

[poobears]

We had the same decision to make in April, different ports on ours but an 8 day on Sunshine vs a 7 day on Magic. We went with Magic ,yes Sunshine has one more day but I think Magic has more to offer on board and it has one more port going for it so it won us over.

[dezertcruzer]

Are you sure of the ports on the Magic? Mahogany Bay is about as far WEST as you can get on a western itinerary, not an eastern one.

 

However, all things said, I would go on the Magic. To me, the ship is much nicer and would have more to offer.

[ugagal07]

You're right, it is Amber Cove.

 

Wrong private port...

[grandmarnnurse]

I'm not familiar with the Magic, but my daughter sailed the Sunshine last year with her children, and couldn't say enough good things about this ship, and how it had so much for her children. I sailed the Sunshine years ago (2001) when she was the Destiny, and loved her then!

 

 

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[woodman]

We have been on both ships more then one time. For us the Sunshine has much better food and entertainment. The crew on both ships are outstanding but the entertainment on the Magic comes up way short unless you enjoy the adult comedy which we don't. The Magic is larger and has more to do but we enjoyed the Sunshine much more. I'm sure which ever one you chose you will have a great cruise.

[riclop]

Magic is a better and newer ship.

[A&Jfamily]

There are 4 of us traveling in a balcony cabin. Myself, DH, DS will turn 4 on the cruise, & DD 2.

 

Should we pick:

1. Sunshine 8 day Southern Caribbean

-Aruba

-Bonaire

-Grand Turk

 

2. Magic 7 day Eastern Caribbean

-Puerto Rico

-Grand Turk

-St. Thomas

-Mahogany Bay

 

Price is about the same.

Yes one is an extra day, but the other gets an extra port.

 

Which would you pick for a family of 4 with two small kids?

 

With two small kids, if they enjoy camp and you enjoy sea days, the Sunshine would be a more "relaxing" cruise. The kids would get a lot of time in camp. Grand Turk is a great beach day and we loved Aruba and there is plenty to do in Curacao. This is also not a trip that is as frequent as the other traditional Eastern route. If the kids do not care for camp and you will be having them with you all the time, I would opt for the Magic.

[cruzinlisa]

I would vote for the Sunshine because of the itinerary and extra day. That is a nice itinerary and not as common. Magic is a newer ship, but Sunshine was revamped so it will have a lot of amenities.

[jsglow]

Let's recall that Sunshine was refurbished to the point that she was rechristened and renamed. Personally, I'd do that cruise as the other itinerary is essentially always available on multiple ships from multiple ports. Consider it one of the 'standard' eastern routes.

[Port of Tampa]

Both are great ships but I would lean towards the Magic...less congestion navigating around the ship (they added more cabins but it is still designed for less passengers) and the Magic still has the new car smell.

[katiel53]

If I were choosing based on the ports, hands down I would Sunshine as Aruba and Curacao aren't the everyday Eastern or Western Caribbean.

 

If I were sailing based on the ship, I'd choose Magic as it is larger, seems less crowded and the balcony cabins are larger I believe on Magic. Also, most of the cabins on Sunshine do not have refrigerators in the cabins.

 

It depends upon what you are looking for. I'm sure you will have a good time whichever one you choose.

[wampuscat7]

We chose Magic over Sunshine for our upcoming cruise with a 2 year old. I would've loved to go on the southern itinerary that Sunshine does, but we liked that the Magic had more port days and was a little cheaper for the time period we were looking. (Price plus shorter itinerary made it easier to justify tacking on a couple of days in Orlando before the cruise.)

 

Based on some feedback from friends,I was a little worried about congestion on Sunshine since her big drydock added more rooms, and I felt Magic might have more spaces where my DD can walk around and not get in the way of other passengers. I also liked that the ports are easy with a 2 year old. For all 4 there is something you can do at the port or in walking distance, if we decide not to do an excursion. (Also allows easy access to the ship in case she needs a nap.)

 

Magic has Camp Ocean vs. Camp Carnival on Sunshine. As far as I can tell, the only real difference is the decor and a few "ocean-y" activities. Magic also has a Thalassotherapy Pool in the spa and Guys BBQ, if either of those are important to you, along with some other minor differences. You can compare the ships on the Carnival site: https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/compare-cruise-ships.

Edited November 21, 2016 by wampuscat7

[KatieCharlotte]

I have done that itinerary on the Sunshine with older kids and have sailed on the Magic with a 4-year-old.

 

Ports: First, three ports was more than enough for my 4yr old, and even when she was 7 yrs old it was enough. Aruba, Bonaire, and Grand Turk is an excellent itinerary for a family with young kids -- relaxing, but the adults get to go somewhere exotic and unusual. Grand Turk is nice for walking off the ship and going to the pool and beach. In Aruba, you have lots of options, including a simple bus ride to a beach. In Bonaire, we took a private tour in a van -- we saw donkeys, goats, flamingos, pink salt, and stopped at a rum shop with a playground and wandering cats. OTOH, on the Magic itinerary, you also get Grand Turk, the easy port of Amber Cove, and Puerto Rico, where you can let them walk around at the forts.

 

Ship: My big kids like Magic better but enjoyed both. The amenities are very similar. The Sunshine is much more condensed, which is good and bad for parents. You have more crowding, but you're also walking less from one thing to another. It was easier on the Sunshine having the mini golf and other fun activities on the same side of the ship as the water play area. One thing I noticed on the Sunshine, although my kids were too big to use it, was an outdoor playground connected to Camp Carnival that would be perfect for your kids.

[sunset785]

We just did the Magic in July with our 2 and 4 year old with the same itinerary. We had a great time and the ship was great! The entertainment was so-so. We are now doing the 8 day Sunshine in March so I'm looking forward to seeing how they compare.

 

 

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