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Review: Carnival Magic Quick Review 6-day Eastern

Andy1850

By Andy1850,
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Andy1850

Andy1850

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I just got off of the Carnival Magic this past Saturday July 29th. This was our 5th Carnival Cruise, previously we have been on the Fantasy, Sunshine, and Valor. We really enjoyed the Sunshine and the Valor...the Fantasy was a lot of fun but we really like the 2.0 upgrades and it did not have them yet.

 

So here is my take on the Carnival Magic:

 

Day 1 Embarkation-

 

We purchased FTTF so we arrived at the port around 10:05, waited 10 minutes to drop our bags off with the porters and were in the parking deck by 10:20. Port Canaveral is very easy to park, I was stressed because the Liberty, Magic and Oasis of the Seas were all going out. That is a lot of people heading to the port at the same time. We walked right into the Terminal (Yes, they looked at the boarding pass and were stopping people who did not have FTTF or the proper Check in time). Security took maybe 10 minutes and we were seated and waiting for the ship to be cleared. After about 30 minutes the ship was cleared and we boarded and were sitting on the Lido Deck by 11:15. This was extremely easy and smooth Embarkation. The only time that was easier was last year on the Valor, we walked into the terminal and they boarded us immediately.

 

This is where things took a little bit of a turn.....The Lido Buffet and Guys Burgers open up at noon. By the time they opened the line to get a burger was easily 60 deep. Guys burgers are good....but not THAT GOOD! It took my wife almost an hour to get some food from the buffet. I snuck down to the Pig and Anchor on deck 5 and luckily it was only about 10 deep. The line for Guys and Lido continued like this for the next two days!!! It was an hour wait to get a burger. The longest I had to wait on previous ships was maybe 10 deep.

 

It started to storm and we just chalked up the lines to weather and a fluke. So like I said to begin with, we had FTTF so we went down to our room around 2pm to get situated. NO LUGGAGE, finally around 5pm prior to dinner several of our bags arrived. Our inlaws had to wear hats and tshirts to the MDR because their luggage did not arrive until around 9pm (they paid for FTTF as well). Our final piece of luggage did not arrive until 8:30, unfortunately that was the bag we needed the most. I went down to Guest Services to ask about this because FTTF says it provides "Express Luggage". Several of our other friends who did not pay for FTTF got their luggage around 3pm. The guest services staffer told me that FTTF does not get Expedited luggage and their was nothing she could do. (I looked it when we got back, it still says Expedited Luggage with FTTF). We paid for FTTF so we would get our stuff quicker to get my Special Needs Son Situated (before you blow me up, we planned for everything in our carry on, but not his PJs)

 

Went down to my inlaws room toward the back port side of Deck 8 and it smelled like a porta john (no kidding, I read about the smell but could not believe how strong it was) Between this, the luggage, and the lines on Lido....we really were not feeling the MAGIC:(.

 

On a positive note....we went to the MDR for dinner....we had Anytime Dinning. This is were we met Danny and Aila. This was by far the best dinning room team we have ever had! The food in the MDR was really good. Danny was fantastic and we had a table of 7 for the family. This was the beginning of a wonderful relationship!

After Dinner we got my son to bed and went down to the Red Frog Pub for some drinks and to relax. Deck 5 was really empty.....all of the crowds were still up on Lido.

 

Somewhere in all of this we did Muster Drill which was in the Main Theatre inside....yeah! Then we went up to Lido for Sail away...which happened about an hour late. It was cool to see the Liberty and the Oasis heading out in front of us.

 

OK that's it for now.....Next up Day 2 Nassau....

 

***Spoiler Alert*** Things get better(in a positive way)

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riclop

riclop

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I just got off of the Carnival Magic this past Saturday July 29th. This was our 5th Carnival Cruise, previously we have been on the Fantasy, Sunshine, and Valor. We really enjoyed the Sunshine and the Valor...the Fantasy was a lot of fun but we really like the 2.0 upgrades and it did not have them yet.

 

So here is my take on the Carnival Magic:

 

Day 1 Embarkation-

 

We purchased FTTF so we arrived at the port around 10:05, waited 10 minutes to drop our bags off with the porters and were in the parking deck by 10:20. Port Canaveral is very easy to park, I was stressed because the Liberty, Magic and Oasis of the Seas were all going out. That is a lot of people heading to the port at the same time. We walked right into the Terminal (Yes, they looked at the boarding pass and were stopping people who did not have FTTF or the proper Check in time). Security took maybe 10 minutes and we were seated and waiting for the ship to be cleared. After about 30 minutes the ship was cleared and we boarded and were sitting on the Lido Deck by 11:15. This was extremely easy and smooth Embarkation. The only time that was easier was last year on the Valor, we walked into the terminal and they boarded us immediately.

 

This is where things took a little bit of a turn.....The Lido Buffet and Guys Burgers open up at noon. By the time they opened the line to get a burger was easily 60 deep. Guys burgers are good....but not THAT GOOD! It took my wife almost an hour to get some food from the buffet. I snuck down to the Pig and Anchor on deck 5 and luckily it was only about 10 deep. The line for Guys and Lido continued like this for the next two days!!! It was an hour wait to get a burger. The longest I had to wait on previous ships was maybe 10 deep.

 

It started to storm and we just chalked up the lines to weather and a fluke. So like I said to begin with, we had FTTF so we went down to our room around 2pm to get situated. NO LUGGAGE, finally around 5pm prior to dinner several of our bags arrived. Our inlaws had to wear hats and tshirts to the MDR because their luggage did not arrive until around 9pm (they paid for FTTF as well). Our final piece of luggage did not arrive until 8:30, unfortunately that was the bag we needed the most. I went down to Guest Services to ask about this because FTTF says it provides "Express Luggage". Several of our other friends who did not pay for FTTF got their luggage around 3pm. The guest services staffer told me that FTTF does not get Expedited luggage and their was nothing she could do. (I looked it when we got back, it still says Expedited Luggage with FTTF). We paid for FTTF so we would get our stuff quicker to get my Special Needs Son Situated (before you blow me up, we planned for everything in our carry on, but not his PJs)

 

Went down to my inlaws room toward the back port side of Deck 8 and it smelled like a porta john (no kidding, I read about the smell but could not believe how strong it was) Between this, the luggage, and the lines on Lido....we really were not feeling the MAGIC:(.

 

On a positive note....we went to the MDR for dinner....we had Anytime Dinning. This is were we met Danny and Aila. This was by far the best dinning room team we have ever had! The food in the MDR was really good. Danny was fantastic and we had a table of 7 for the family. This was the beginning of a wonderful relationship!

After Dinner we got my son to bed and went down to the Red Frog Pub for some drinks and to relax. Deck 5 was really empty.....all of the crowds were still up on Lido.

 

Somewhere in all of this we did Muster Drill which was in the Main Theatre inside....yeah! Then we went up to Lido for Sail away...which happened about an hour late. It was cool to see the Liberty and the Oasis heading out in front of us.

 

OK that's it for now.....Next up Day 2 Nassau....

 

***Spoiler Alert*** Things get better(in a positive way)

Another reason why FTTF is a total waste of $$$. They often refund your FTTF $$$.

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Andy1850

Andy1850

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Day 2- Nassau

 

After the lines at the LIDO buffet the night before, we decided to go to the MDR for Breakfast. We did not have an excursion scheduled in Nassau. This was our 5th time in Nassau and are now in a routine. Breakfast is in the Southern Lights Dining room. The Dining room was really empty and the service was fantastic! You will notice a theme that the Main Dining room staff wherever we went was great!

 

We went down to Deck 0 around 9am and walked right off the Ship. This is another great thing about the Magic...we had very little wait getting on or off the ship. In the past I experienced long lines disembarking at ports on the Sunshine and Valor...Not on the Magic. So, like I said, we have a routine in Nassau. We started doing this walking tour that I found online back in 2011 when we went on the Fantasy. Every time we go to Nassau, we have a new couple with us or bring the kids for the first time and so we do the tour. I printed off this tour every year but now can do it by heart. It starts at the Statue of Sir Milo Butler and goes to Parliament, Library, Queens Staircase, Fort Fincastle, , Post Office, Governor Generals Residence, Christopher Columbus Statue, Graycliff Manor, Chocolate Factory, Junkanoo Beach, Fish Fry, Straw Market, and Shopping. All before heading back to the ship. My wife said it is 12,000 steps. My son successfully made the trip, although he looked miserable and complained most the way. For this reason, we spent extra time at the Chocolate factory tasting out new things. We walked to the Fish Fry...We usually go to Goldies, but it was closed...hopefully not permanently. We ate at "DA FISH FRY", we just ordered some Conch Fritters and Beer. It was nice to sit in the Air-conditioning and we saw a small Stingray swimming outside. After the Fish Fry, we went back to Junkanoo Beach. We found a nice place to sit and hang out on the beach and in the water. You can pay for chairs there if you want...its $10-$20...you get to play "Lets Make a Deal" with the locals. We found the best deal on drinks was the stand near the public restrooms....4 beers for $10 plus free kids soda. The beer was reasonable cold. I noticed the Locals were a little more pushy than normal...this could be because we were the only ship in.

 

After our fun in the sun, we decided to head back to the Magic and were onboard by 3pm. Only had to wait in line about 10 minutes to board. Since Goldies was closed we did not eat in town, so up to LIDO to grab a quick bite before dinner because we were starving. Once again LIDO was a mess, apparently everyone else had the same idea. The Buffett was closed, Guys burgers was 40 deep and the pizza line was 25 deep. At that point we decided to head down to the Red Frog Pub because it would be dinner time if we waited for food on LIDO. We paid the $3.33per item and got 4 or 5 snacks that tied us over. The food at the Red Frog was really good, I liked the Wings.

 

At this point on the Trip, my Wife and I had decided that the MAGIC was NOT FOR US. The Lido seemed to be the same size as on other ships but with a lot more passengers. I don't mind waiting in lines, but not for 45 plus minutes. I have been spoiled in the past....you could go up and grab a quick bite...maybe wait 15-20 on a pizza. I was really embarrassed because we talked my inlaws into going on this cruise and I found myself apologizing for EVERYTHING....Luggage, Smell, Wait times.

 

After the Great Snack and some more drinks....All was well with the world. Once again we had the whole Ocean Plaza pretty much to ourselves. I wondered if the rest of the ship even realized that Deck 5 existed....I was not going to tell them.

 

We cleaned up and went to the Lobby bar where the Northern Lights MDR is located at around 5:45. We walked up at 6 and asked if we could be sat at table 231 with Danny and Aila. They sat our table of 7 there again and once again the dinner was fantastic, they remembered all of our names and had already figured out that my son will be ordering the PBJ every night and did not like it toasted. Aila took a shining to my son and she made sure that he was taken care of. We never felt rushed nor did we ever have to wait. I will say this every night.

 

After Dinner we put my son to bed and gave him a Walkie Talkie to communicate, then we went back downstairs. We went to the Piano Bar, this is typically one of our favorite places on the Ship and the Musician was AWFUL. I had read this about the Piano Bar before but hoped that it was not true. The Artist rushed through songs he did not like and butchered the rest. We soon left that area and went back to listen to Music at the Red Frog and Ocean Plaza. The Musicians their (Emma Jane and Son of a Gun) were really good. That night for some reason, my wife wanted to go check out the 70s, 80s music in the VIBE night club....we put my daughter and niece to bed and went into the night club....It looked like a lot of fun...but I got over night clubs many years ago, so I convinced my wife to leave.

 

We had gotten Drinks at the Alchemy Bar that night....its in Ocean Plaza. It was not nearly as busy as other ships we have been on. We went through the Casino throughout the night....Not nearly as smoky as I had heard.

 

I am sure I left out a few things.....Next UP: Day 3 SEA DAY (it really does get better)

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cruzeluver

cruzeluver

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. There must have been some mitigating factors causing these kind of lines and waits for food on the lido. We were on Magic in February after recent cruises on Sunshine and Fantasy and did not experience the crazy wait times you did for food at Guys etc. So sorry that happened.

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Andy1850

Andy1850

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One note on Day 2- My Wife just corrected me on the Steps in Nassau...it was over 20000

 

Day 3- Sea Day

 

I know that I seem really down on things....At this point on the Trip....I really was. I was having fun and the kids were having fun, just disappointed. We were trying to figure out if this is NORMAL and we had just been lucky. Had Carnival cut back to much? So we asked crew members...It comes out that the Health Inspector had either boarded or was supposed to board on Embarkation Day...this slowed everything down. They had to do things a lot slower than normal, causing longer lines (my wife works in the food industry and said this is typical during an inspection, not that they are not usually cautious, just that they are extra cautious during inspections). This explained Day 1 but what about Day 2? A Crewmember with 15 years with Carnival in the food area explained that because of the lines on Day 1, everyone is overreacting on Day 2 in fear of long lines. Causing Long Lines. I thought to myself....yeah right!

 

I get up early, most of the time its because my son is up and my Daughter and wife are still sleeping. I got my running stuff on and my son got Dressed and we heading up to the Sports Plaza on Deck 12. My son chilled out in a lounger while I ran the track....a lot of people were walking the track....I found this odd because the Lanai on Deck 5 goes all the way around the ship and seems like a much better place to walk instead of this short track. I felt like a rock star while running...My GPS had synched (I did not realize) and my sports watch announced that I had just clocked my fastest mile ever at just over 6 minute mile (I usually run 7:30 minute miles and had not run a six since back in the Army) I figured it was because of the wind pushing me and was feeling really good about myself....until 3 minutes later when it announced that I clocked my fastest time ever at a 3 minute mile....that is when I realized it was because I was on a moving SHIP....HA!:')

 

After my run...my son and I went down to LIDO. It was about 745 by this time and found a few lounge chairs. Most of the chairs were still open at this time. Their were towels on about 20 loungers....a few people sitting out there. We went and got breakfast and came back to our chairs to eat. Their was no line at 8am at the Lido Buffett. I left my son to eat and went to the room and got my Daughter. By 930 my wife had joined us and encountered very little line at the breakfast buffet. At this point...most if not all chairs on the LIDO deck were taken. At about 1030 it started to pour rain....just long enough for many to flee their chairs and a all of the people who were looking for chairs jumped in. The rain lasted....10 minutes. We camped out on Lido for most of the day. I went and did the slides with the kids. The DrainPipe is really fun...but as an adult you feel every seam and it is quite uncomfortable.. I felt like I was being flushed down the toilet. I then did the Twister....I felt like I was going to stop in the middle and did not like this one as much. Once was enough and I let the kids have their fun. Eventually the normal LIDO shenanigans went on....Harry Chest, Best Drink...Line Dancing. I always enjoy watching the people and everyone was having fun.

 

Today I Went to Guys Burger and the line was only about 12 deep...I waited maybe 15 minutes. I got one for my Wife and I and my 9 year old daughter ate one as well.

 

At this point....we started to feel a little better about things....the lines were shorter....the wait staff was very attentive...everyone was smiling and I finally felt like I was back on a Carnival Cruise. Could the CREW Member of 15 years be right? Were the lines a fluke?

 

I left the Wife and her Sister on Lido and took the kids down to the "Hot Tub" on the Lanai. The pool on the Lido was standing room only by this point. We got in the "Hot Tub" and it was not hot at all. It was quite refreshing and within 20 minutes the kids had run everyone else out....not that they were out of control....not that I minded;p. We stayed their for about an hour...then back to the room for a little downtime and to get ready for Elegant Night.

 

Elegant Night....I wore Khaki Dress Pants and a button down shirt....that is as dressed up as I want to get on Vacation....I wear a suit for work. The Tables had Tablecloths (lot of people are concerned about this, not sure why) and they had Lobster on the Menu.....FYI....I got 2. My wife and I always split the Rare Finds App every night (used to be the DIDJYA) and would each get our own APP. We splurge on Vacation...My wife is a Dietician so we usually eat really healthy. Once again we got our table....231...with Danny and Aila. By this time, they had My sons order down along with the two scoops of Ice Cream for dessert....the bread was to his liking and he always got his food quick. I am not a FOODIE...the food could have been mediocre but the service and the atmosphere was so good that it made the dinner taste great! One other note that I left out from the previous nights...the waiters now handle the Bar Service...this has made the dinners much smoother than in the past. You don't have to wait for the separate Bar person to come around. I know this puts more on the Head Waiter and Staff but it makes things a lot smoother.

 

After Dinner, I put my son to bed and we headed down to Ocean Plaza for drinks (I changed back into shorts). We thought about doing the comedy club after we put the girls to bed but the line to get the ZONE Tickets was at least 100. So with the new system, people are lining up an hour early in front of the Vibe Club to get the Zone Tickets, so they can come back 30 minutes before the show to wait for their Zone to be called. So you have to be there 2 hours early....NO THANK YOU. We never saw a comedian on this SHIP...Another First!

 

We went to bed early this night....we have a Snorkeling excursion in the Dominican the Next Day-

 

Next UP: Day 4 - Amber Cove

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Andy1850

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Day 4- Amber Cove

 

We had an Excursion today so we had to be in the Northern Lights Dinning room by 8am.

 

Got up around 630, went to the Ocean Plaza to get some food. Schedule said that it opened at 7am with a Continental Breakfast. They were setting up when we arrived at 705. I asked the guy that was setting up and was told 730. I showed him the schedule and he got really snippy with me. I thought maybe he would say...OK and we could start getting what was put out...but NO....he said it would not open until 730. We left and went up to LIDO...it was really busy. Everyone was trying to grab a quick bite before their excursions. We were able to grab continental breakfast stuff and Grits. That is all we needed anyways and were on our way.

 

The Excursion process was really smooth....they called your excursion, you lined up to exit the ship and met the guy with the sign outside.

 

We did the Deluxe Snorkel Catamaran with lunch and drinks....I am not going to do a full review of this, but I will say we really enjoyed it. I have been on many excursions like this and for beginners....this was really fun. It was a little to structured for me, but my family really liked it and the crew was great.

 

We were back in Amber Cove around 2pm....did a little shopping....this is a Carnival built port...not a lot of diversity, looks just like all of the others. Back on the ship by 3pm.

 

Instead of attempting the LIDO area, we got cleaned up and went down to Red Frog for some shuffleboard and a quick snack prior to dinner. We went to Dinner at 6pm....not much more I can say....Great Dinner Experience, we had table 231 (we asked) with Danny and Aila. Danny had started doing Magic tricks which the kids really enjoyed. Danny Made this trip great.

 

It was an early night, we were all tired and knew we had a big day in Grand Turk....we put my son to bed, went down to Ocean Plaza for Drinks and some music and then to bed by 10pm.

 

Day 5- Grand Turk-

 

Today we did not have a planned excursion. I had rented a Golf Cart for our own adventure.

 

Got up around 630 again...we knew that the Taste Bar did not open until 730 (even though the schedule said 7) went down there to get breakfast. Nice simple continental breakfast....Cereal, Muffins, coffee, fruit. That is all we needed. Grabbed a Power Aid from the Coffee Shop and on our way.

 

Once again, no wait getting off the ship. I had printed off a review I found from Grand Turk that hit all of the Island highlights and had a map. We prepaid for a 6-Seater Golf Cart from MaxKarts....I reserved this months in advance. IF YOU GET NOTHING ELSE FROM THIS REVIEW....DO NOT RENT FROM MAXKARTS!!!!!!. We walked to the exit of the cruise area where all of the GolfCarts and rentals were located. I told the people out by the carts that I was looking for MAXKARTS and that I had rented the 6-Seater. They all laughed and said....the 6-Seater is broke. Apparently, their was some inside joke about this golf cart that they were all enjoying. I am not sure whether this Cart actually exists. They told me that MAX would be along shortly....about 20 minutes later...Max shows up in a golf cart. He tells me that the 6-Seater is broke and that he would give me two four seaters for the same price.....We were not happy with this because we had to break up the family and my brother in law did not want to drive. After some back and forth, we finally relented and went with the two golf carts. I got in mine and the Gas Gauge said....EMPTY. I looked at him and he handed me $5 and said to get gas down the road.....WHAT!!!! Fine, I took the money and stopped to get gas for the Cart. I put a little extra in to make sure. About this time is when we found out that Golf Cart 2 was much slower than My Golf Cart. We made it work and set off touring the island. We went to the Lighthouse, Pillory Beach, Governors Beach, and made some random stops on the way. The beach at Pillory beach near Bohio was beautiful but their was TRASH everywhere just off the beach. It looked like people would picnic and then throw their trash on the ground.

 

Our final Stop was Governors Beach. This beach is really beautiful and their was maybe 2 other families on the whole beach. I highly recommend you go here if you can. I found Sand Dollars just off the beach and lots of little fish. Water was crystal Clear. There are abandoned bathrooms, still usable and a small faucet to wash off your feet. This was the highlight of GRAND TURK. As we were leaving I noticed that GOLF CART 2 was not behind me....I circled back and sure enough....their cart would not move. I piled everyone but my brother in law into my cart and headed back to the cruise port, it was less than a mile away. I looked for Max.....the lady making the inside jokes from the morning was the only one there. She said that she did not know where Max was. I told here that the other Golf Cart was broke....she told me to leave it where it is and Max would find it. I went back to my Brother in Law and picked him up.....we left the Golf Cart on the side of the road near Governors beach. Once again....IF YOU GET NOTHING ELSE FROM THIS REVIEW....DO NOT RENT FROM MAXKARTS!!!!! Actually, all of the Golf Cart rental people seemed really shady.

 

We went back to the Shopping area to meet up with everyone else....stopped by Margaitaville....lots of really drunk people having a lot of fun!!! We were back on the ship by 3pm.

 

We were starving since we never got any food in Grand Turk, went up to LIDO....Line for Guys was only about 5 deep, very little line at the Buffett. So we got some food and cooled off.

 

Went to Dinner at 6pm...Same Table....Danny and Aila were great! If you have them for your waitstaff...tell them PB&J Joshuas Dad says hello.....I bet they will remember!

 

After Dinner, we put my son to bed and then put the girls in the other room to watch a movie. We went down to Ocean Plaza, got some drinks and then had a little fun....maybe too much fun....in the Casino. I really like the Bubble Craps game. My wife and her sister played the game where you drop the quarters. They both won, hats and tshirts. We stayed up to midnight...Next Up....Final Day At Sea.

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summersigh

summersigh

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Enjoying your posts :D

 

Our experience with Guys on the Sunshine was that the lines were very long waiting for it to open. Waiting for 30-45 minutes before we got in line and we found only a handful of folks waiting - at that time the line was moving fast. :D

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E@syPe@zy

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Thanks so much for the review. I've been thinking about booking with the Magic, since I've been on the Dream and the Breeze and really like like the layout of those ships. But it does concern me about the long lines, since this is the 2nd review in 2 days that just finished their cruises that had the same experience.

However, we do not cruise during school breaks and have not experienced the long lines at Guy's or the buffet, even on embarkation day. Maybe 10 people ahead of us at Guy's and the staff are very efficient at moving people through the line quickly.

We almost always get the continental breakfast from room service and avoid the morning crowds on the Lido. And we also love sea day brunch, but always go towards the later time and have found that works much better. I do agree that the MDR staff do an incredible job, no matter what ship we are sailing.

Looking forward to the rest of your review and really glad to hear that it improved as the days went by.

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42rob22

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A-HA! I knew it was the health inspection that was slowing up the food on the first day! My family and I were mulling around Lido by 11:30 am and nothing was open. I spotted the inspector wandering around the buffet lines and going in and out of the galley. He was wearing blue coveralls like the Coast Guard, but his name tag said Public Health Service.

 

Sorry about FTTF not working out. Our bags were outside our cabins after the muster drill, but we were way down on deck 2. Maybe that's an unwritten advantage to riding in steerage.

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bUU

bUU

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The line for Guys and Lido continued like this for the next two days!!!
Did you ever have an opportunity to see if there was a long line at Tandoor?

 

So like I said to begin with, we had FTTF so we went down to our room around 2pm to get situated. NO LUGGAGE, finally around 5pm prior to dinner several of our bags arrived. ... (I looked it when we got back, it still says Expedited Luggage with FTTF).
I originally thought that FTTF included a promise about getting our luggage early, but regardless I've been corrected about that: They promise to provide FTTF luggage "priority", no expedited treatment. It's a subtle difference, and I definitely read into it what I was hoping to see when I first read it rather than understanding what it actually said. I still think it is worth it to us.

 

Went down to my inlaws room toward the back port side of Deck 8 and it smelled like a porta john (no kidding, I read about the smell but could not believe how strong it was) Between this, the luggage, and the lines on Lido....we really were not feeling the MAGIC:(.
We were chatting in another thread this morning about the Carnival Great Vacation Guarantee. My feeling is that the guarantee asks us passengers to accept too much of a sacrifice for it to be a reasonable offer, but I am wondering if you knew about it, and if not, would you have taken Carnival up on the offer?

 

Somewhere in all of this we did Muster Drill which was in the Main Theatre inside....yeah! Then we went up to Lido for Sail away...which happened about an hour late. It was cool to see the Liberty and the Oasis heading out in front of us.
Glad to hear the Muster Drill is indoors. I did watch your cruise pull out of the port late. Glad to hear things get better.

 

 

It comes out that the Health Inspector had either boarded or was supposed to board on Embarkation Day...this slowed everything down. They had to do things a lot slower than normal, causing longer lines (my wife works in the food industry and said this is typical during an inspection, not that they are not usually cautious, just that they are extra cautious during inspections). This explained Day 1 but what about Day 2? A Crewmember with 15 years with Carnival in the food area explained that because of the lines on Day 1, everyone is overreacting on Day 2 in fear of long lines. Causing Long Lines. I thought to myself....yeah right!
Actually, that sounds very reasonable.

 

Today I Went to Guys Burger and the line was only about 12 deep...I waited maybe 15 minutes.
And it looks like what that crew members told you is borne out by your experience on Day 3.

 

Thanks so much for the review. I've been thinking about booking with the Magic, since I've been on the Dream and the Breeze and really like like the layout of those ships. But it does concern me about the long lines, since this is the 2nd review in 2 days that just finished their cruises that had the same experience.
Isn't that other poster Andy's spouse? I remember that review was about another Carnival cruise in the middle of summer with a big family group, rather than a couple or family of three or four. Edited by bUU
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buddylover

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Thanks for taking the time to post your review. We will be sailing on the Magic in November......fingers crossed that it will be less crowded at that time of year.....you are scaring us...LOL....as yours is the 2nd review recently about the 'crowds'.......eeekkk! We will try to prepare ourselves!!!

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Andy1850

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Did you ever have an opportunity to see if there was a long line at Tandoor?

 

I originally thought that FTTF included a promise about getting our luggage early, but regardless I've been corrected about that: They promise to provide FTTF luggage "priority", no expedited treatment. It's a subtle difference, and I definitely read into it what I was hoping to see when I first read it rather than understanding what it actually said. I still think it is worth it to us.

 

We were chatting in another thread this morning about the Carnival Great Vacation Guarantee. My feeling is that the guarantee asks us passengers to accept too much of a sacrifice for it to be a reasonable offer, but I am wondering if you knew about it, and if not, would you have taken Carnival up on the offer?

 

Glad to hear the Muster Drill is indoors. I did watch your cruise pull out of the port late. Glad to hear things get better.

 

 

Actually, that sounds very reasonable.

 

And it looks like what that crew members told you is borne out by your experience on Day 3.

 

Isn't that other poster Andy's spouse? I remember that review was about another Carnival cruise in the middle of summer with a big family group, rather than a couple or family of three or four.

 

 

I completely forgot about Tandoor...so did not see if the line was long there.....I was glad I remembered Pig & Anchor, very little line there.

 

As far as FTTF it does say "Expedited Luggage" and Carnival Agrees....I was notified today that they are refunding my 69.95 fee for FTTF...:)

 

As far as the other review....its not MY wife....kinda sounds like her....we only had 7 in our group. I did not know about the Guarantee....it would have devastated my 9yr old daughter to pull her away from her cousin, they are thick as thieves and only see each other a few times a year. I was not happy about the lines....but there was no line for Alcohol, that would have been the breaking point....HA!

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