Just off Magic & disappointed

[ryano]

OP if you didn't enjoy yourself, then you didn't. Why are you apologizing? I

 

Exactly, and why are people apologizing to the OP because her cruise wasnt up to par? Ive never understood all the "Im sorry your cruise wasnt good" comments. Its not our place to apologize for Carnival.

 

I just hope my Magic experience in a couple months is as good as it was last year. Its a full ship though and gonna be packed with kids. I think thats a fall break for many. I will have a good time nonetheless

[frayedend]

Exactly, and why are people apologizing to the OP because her cruise wasnt up to par? Ive never understood all the "Im sorry your cruise wasnt good" comments. Its not our place to apologize for Carnival.

 

 

They aren't really apologizing for Carnival. It's more like a condolence than an apology. Similar to "I'm sorry for your loss"... etc. The word sorry sort of has 2 meanings.

[AdGuyMG]

Crowding varies on any ship, as I'm sure you know. But at capacity, Dream class and Vista class are going to have more crowding issues and longer lines than Conquest class ships. Do you disagree with that? If so, based on what?

 

I agree that the potential for crowding and longer lines exists, but is not a guarantee that it will be experienced.

 

What I'm basing it on is that "not everybody does the same thing at the same time". There are lots of possible examples but here's a few.

 

Breakfast Buffet: On a sea day, some people are up at the crack of dawn, some sleep in until 9 or 10 or later. The few hundred early morning breakfast people eating at 7AM and the few hundred late morning breakfast people eating at 10 are going to have a different experience than those arriving for breakfast between 8:30 and 9:30.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

 

Casino: Can vary depending on time of day. Some people like playing during the daytime and can sit at any slot machine or table they choose. Some play only at night after dinner and may have a hard time finding an open table or their favorite slot machine. The daytime players are going to have a different spin on their casino experience than the evening "crowded /smoky casino" posters.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

Alchemy Bar: Hit it at pre-dinner cocktail time and expect a significantly larger crowd and vibe than stopping by at say 10PM.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

Sports Bar: Plenty of seats and bar stools. ice cold beer, lots of TV's and fast service most any time. Go during a week of NCAA Finals / NBA//NHL/MLB/ World Cup Soccer or Sunday/Monday Night Football and your answer to "is the Sports Bar crowded?" experience will be radically different.

 

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

My Time Dining: It's available from 6PM - 9:30PM. Show up between 6 and 7 or after 9 and you'll have a 1 to 5 minute wait to be seated. Go between 7:15 and 8:30 and the lines and waits are longer. The same can be said for land based restaurants on a busy weekend night.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

Guy's Burgers or Barbecue: Go at 12 - 1PM during prime lunch hours and your run a good chance of a line that may look intimidating, but the lines move fast as they are not cooking to order. Go later like 1:30 - 2 and you can walk right up as I have experienced a few times and enjoy!

 

Getting Back On The Ship After A Shore Day: Big lines usually starting around 3PM. Do a morning excursion and get back to the ship around 1:30 and you'll breeze back on and have time for lunch plus a good seat near the pool and short lines for the waterslides.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

These are just a few examples.

[crusinpsychRN]

When I was on Magic in April they had changed the Mongolian Wok to 2 lines and 2 cooks instead of 1 line and 3 cooks. Horribly slow. Took 45 minutes and I was 8th in line. Never again.

[Micahs Grandad]

Agreed... but that also includes those that disagree.

 

This place would be rather boring if there was no disagreement.

 

just wish people would be more tolerant of others views

[bUU]

My Time Dining: It's available from 6PM - 9:30PM.

Call me whatever you want but please don't call me late to dinner! Doesn't MTD start at 5:45 PM?

[Towel Critter]

I agree that the potential for crowding and longer lines exists, but is not a guarantee that it will be experienced.

 

What I'm basing it on is that "not everybody does the same thing at the same time". There are lots of possible examples but here's a few.

 

Breakfast Buffet: On a sea day, some people are up at the crack of dawn, some sleep in until 9 or 10 or later. The few hundred early morning breakfast people eating at 7AM and the few hundred late morning breakfast people eating at 10 are going to have a different experience than those arriving for breakfast between 8:30 and 9:30.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

 

Casino: Can vary depending on time of day. Some people like playing during the daytime and can sit at any slot machine or table they choose. Some play only at night after dinner and may have a hard time finding an open table or their favorite slot machine. The daytime players are going to have a different spin on their casino experience than the evening "crowded /smoky casino" posters.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

Alchemy Bar: Hit it at pre-dinner cocktail time and expect a significantly larger crowd and vibe than stopping by at say 10PM.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

Sports Bar: Plenty of seats and bar stools. ice cold beer, lots of TV's and fast service most any time. Go during a week of NCAA Finals / NBA//NHL/MLB/ World Cup Soccer or Sunday/Monday Night Football and your answer to "is the Sports Bar crowded?" experience will be radically different.

 

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

My Time Dining: It's available from 6PM - 9:30PM. Show up between 6 and 7 or after 9 and you'll have a 1 to 5 minute wait to be seated. Go between 7:15 and 8:30 and the lines and waits are longer. The same can be said for land based restaurants on a busy weekend night.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

Guy's Burgers or Barbecue: Go at 12 - 1PM during prime lunch hours and your run a good chance of a line that may look intimidating, but the lines move fast as they are not cooking to order. Go later like 1:30 - 2 and you can walk right up as I have experienced a few times and enjoy!

 

Getting Back On The Ship After A Shore Day: Big lines usually starting around 3PM. Do a morning excursion and get back to the ship around 1:30 and you'll breeze back on and have time for lunch plus a good seat near the pool and short lines for the waterslides.

The Class Of Ship does not matter.

 

These are just a few examples.

Okay, so it is possible that lunch at the Lido Buffet, or wherever, might be as crowded at times as it is on the Breeze, or Dream, or Magic, or Vista. I don't doubt that for a minute. I still maintain it is much more common on Dream and Vista class, especially Vista class. The more cabins there are and the less public space there is, the greater the likelihood for crowing and long lines. It's just common sense. Besides it has been reported here multiple times, in addition to what I have experienced. Do I hate Dream and Vista class ships? No. But I prefer Conquest class because of more public space versus passengers aboard. The Conquest class ships are Goldilocks ships, not too small, not too big... just right. :) Happy cruising, whichever class of ship you prefer.

[okgirl]

What I like best about the Magic and the Breeze are all the ways to avoid the long buffet lines.

 

First of all, I eat in the MDR almost every time it's open. So on sea days I go early for breakfast type food, then I return just before the brunch closes for lunch. Then of course every evening for dinner.

 

On embarkation day, I eat lunch in Cucina.

 

On port days, I eat breakfast and dinner in the MDR and usually Cucina for lunch or sometimes the buffet but that's pretty rare.

 

On sea days I sometimes also utilize the alternative venues for breakfast and lunch, like the Taste Bar, BBQ, Red Frog, Bonsai Sushi (Breeze)

 

I mostly hang out on the Promenade or down in the Lobby to read or people watch. Play trivia or puzzles.

 

I realize not everyone experiences issues in the same way or from the same perspective. And it's even more challenging to keep everything going the right direction when you are traveling with a big group.

 

Hopefully, the OP can go back in the off season, when the demographics are very different.

[tef43]

I really hate when I see threads like this that everything was so horrible from the start that they did not just get off the ship.

This is Cruise CRITIC. Perhaps you should patronize a site called Cruise CHEERLEADER?

[BoDidly]

Call me whatever you want but please don't call me late to dinner! Doesn't MTD start at 5:45 PM?

YES it does .

[buddylover]

Crowding varies on any ship, as I'm sure you know. But at capacity, Dream class and Vista class are going to have more crowding issues and longer lines than Conquest class ships. Do you disagree with that? If so, based on what?

 

I am not certain you can blame the class of ship for crowdedness in general. But in our experience, the one ship that was barely tolerable was the Vista which was extremely crowded everywhere all the time. We were on the Vista in February, which is typically when we sail as we don't have small children anymore and it is typically a less crowded time of year to sail across the board....but CCL really messed up big time with the Vista.....to cram MORE people into a ship basically the same size as the Breeze etc, they closed in the Atrium....put more cabins and a theatre in the space.....thus a closed in awful feeling to us and a much smaller main lobby/atrium.....at times we couldn't even walk thru it. We will not be sailing that ship any time soon and await the reviews on her sister ship the Horizon (?) before ever booking that. Crowded is a nice way of putting it!! :(

[Micahs Grandad]

I am not certain you can blame the class of ship for crowdedness in general. But in our experience, the one ship that was barely tolerable was the Vista which was extremely crowded everywhere all the time. We were on the Vista in February, which is typically when we sail as we don't have small children anymore and it is typically a less crowded time of year to sail across the board....but CCL really messed up big time with the Vista.....to cram MORE people into a ship basically the same size as the Breeze etc, they closed in the Atrium....put more cabins and a theatre in the space.....thus a closed in awful feeling to us and a much smaller main lobby/atrium.....at times we couldn't even walk thru it. We will not be sailing that ship any time soon and await the reviews on her sister ship the Horizon (?) before ever booking that. Crowded is a nice way of putting it!! :(

 

They also reduced the size of the comedy club and that is a biggie to us.

 

We like the Dream and Conquest class and most of our carnival cruises in the future will be on them.

[dacsmom]

I am not certain you can blame the class of ship for crowdedness in general. But in our experience, the one ship that was barely tolerable was the Vista which was extremely crowded everywhere all the time. We were on the Vista in February, which is typically when we sail as we don't have small children anymore and it is typically a less crowded time of year to sail across the board....but CCL really messed up big time with the Vista.....to cram MORE people into a ship basically the same size as the Breeze etc, they closed in the Atrium....put more cabins and a theatre in the space.....thus a closed in awful feeling to us and a much smaller main lobby/atrium.....at times we couldn't even walk thru it. We will not be sailing that ship any time soon and await the reviews on her sister ship the Horizon (?) before ever booking that. Crowded is a nice way of putting it!! :(

 

It just goes to show how people have different experiences. One is neither right or wrong, just different. I was on the Vista in January and was amazed at how uncrowded the ship felt. I did not wait in a long line for anything, including dinners and shows. I loved the ship and would sail on her again in a minute.

[BoDidly]

It just goes to show how people have different experiences. One is neither right or wrong, just different. I was on the Vista in January and was amazed at how uncrowded the ship felt. I did not wait in a long line for anything, including dinners and shows. I loved the ship and would sail on her again in a minute.

It also depends on the time frame and if its a newer ship ,when school is out expect more crowds . If it's a new ship people want to get on it to experience that new feel. Remember the Titanic where people were saying " new sheets ,where no one has slept on yet ".

Other than that the Vista and Sunshine will mostly be the ones where you get the sardine can feel .

[Towel Critter]

I am not certain you can blame the class of ship for crowdedness in general. But in our experience, the one ship that was barely tolerable was the Vista which was extremely crowded everywhere all the time. We were on the Vista in February, which is typically when we sail as we don't have small children anymore and it is typically a less crowded time of year to sail across the board....but CCL really messed up big time with the Vista.....to cram MORE people into a ship basically the same size as the Breeze etc, they closed in the Atrium....put more cabins and a theatre in the space.....thus a closed in awful feeling to us and a much smaller main lobby/atrium.....at times we couldn't even walk thru it. We will not be sailing that ship any time soon and await the reviews on her sister ship the Horizon (?) before ever booking that. Crowded is a nice way of putting it!! :(

Our next cruise will likely be on the Vista. My wife likes new ships. I like the itinerary we are looking at. So it looks likely. I hope we get one of the better Vista experiences that have been reported on CC, rather than one of the over crowded ones that have been reported. School will be in session, so that should help. Even if we experience tolerable crowds and lines, I'm pretty sure I won't enjoy the more closed in feel of the Vista, judging from some reports (including yours) and from photos. Wish me luck! I expect the Horizon will be more of the same, since it will be Vista class. For me, it will be a sad day when the Conquest class ships are put out to pasture. But hopefully that won't be for many, many years.

[BossOfTheHouse]

Although many of you are Carnival loyalist on here and that is great for you but this is our experience so please don't inflame as this board is for all opinions. We had large group of family and sail every other couple years together have been on Royal, Carnival and Disney. Our last Carnival cruise though was 2010 on the Dream which we enjoyed. However this time Carnival Magic lacked so much which makes cruising fun!

Embarkation was fine until we got on the boat at about 12:15 & it was a complete zoo never have i seen a lido buffet area with lines that wrapped around the entire inside, huge lines for burgers and burritos, no where to go and down right stifling hot it was so frustrating off to bad start however next time i will make sure we arrive after 1:30 when cabins are open and maybe less people everywhere!! However this foreshadow what was to come, Lines, Lines, and more lines, and people everywhere on this ship!!

The ships public areas are just too small especially the pools and lido buffet etc for the amount of passengers!

Definitely carnival cutbacks, sorry but the food on this ship was below average & not what we have experienced on past cruises. Buffet was awful & dining room dinner choices were few and overall food came out cold and flavorless, the servers are so overworked that when we asked for other things they were never brought and refills were non existant on drinks and drinks took forever, many drinks we ordered but never received.

Entertainment was sparse and consisted mostly of line dancing to same songs, sea days had few activities by the pool only hair chest contest & loud music. The shows were few and not very good and there just weren't a lot of night time activities, the deck party was no food, no midnight buffet or snacks just once again passengers dancing. Only late night food was pizza and the line was so long and slow! Room service twice ran out of food we ordered on menu!

Our cabin was great if it wasn't so hot and never cooled down and basically carnival did nothing to help us offered a fan but never received it! However the cabins are spacious and tons of storage and the closets were big with lots of hangers the bathroom had lots of shelves.

On a good note, the ship was very clean and always being cleaned especially the bathrooms, all the workers we encountered were very friendly and helpful, and working hard! The ports were great, nassau, amber cove (although wished they made a beach area not just a pool) and Grand turk was the nicest! Embarkation was rather painless! The weather was great all week so that was nice, best part the drinks were strong so we drank more then we ate!

We've always liked carnival in past but after not sailing on them in 7 years, things have changed for the worse and too many other choices out there when your spending way over $1000 pp and additional $380 for drink package! If you have any questions i will try to help, every cruise is what you make it of course and we made it fun cause we had large group but the Carnival Magic disappointed all of us:(

 

We cruised the week before you. It was a last minute decision resulting from a RCCL cancellation due to my husband's work schedule. I didn't write a review but I was disappointed in Carnival as well. You hit the nail on the head with many of your comments. I, too, have cruised RCCL and Disney as well as Carnival, last Carnival cruise being on the Magic (ironically) from Galveston in 2012. Some things we didn't expect:

-My kids did not like the Kids Club.

-Our Cove Balcony stayed dirty with not only sea spray (which is understandable) but debris and there was standing water 100% of the time.

-We booked too late for Early Dining so took a chance with Anytime Dining and it was utter chaos. One night I ordered ice tea with dinner and didn't receive it until after the dessert order was taken.

-The splash pad and water slide areas were closed for the first 2 days of the cruise, not for wind, but for "scheduled maintenance".

-The workers were not helpful at all. I would ask several workers the same question and get different answers in which non proved to be true.

 

Of course there were great things too:

-Dr. E is amazing! My kids are still singing "Good Morning Good Morning!"

-I cruise for the ports and like to visit new places. This cruise went to Aruba, Curaco was replaced with Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk. I have never been to these places and Grand Turk is quite possibly my favorite place on Earth right now.

-We woke early enough to enjoy the splash pad and water slides (when open), usually alone.

-The omelette lines were never long (in comparison to RCCL) AND there was full breakfast buffet on the last day.

-Popcorn with the evening movies were a big hit for my littles.

-Disembarkation was a breeze!

 

I guess you get what you pay for. We will be back on the Magic in March with my brother's family because they are on a budget (so Carnival it is) and I get to go back to Grand Turk! :)

[Towel Critter]

[quote=BossOfTheHouse;53693155

Grand Turk is quite possibly my favorite place on Earth right now.

:)

 

Well, this proves the relativity of cruising and cruise experiences. Grand Turk is by far my least favorite port-of-call. :)

[AdGuyMG]

Thanks OP for the review. I feel that Carnival ships are not designed to function well at full capacity. This is why I enjoy Royal's Oasis class ships. The mega ships are designed with spacious common areas.

 

If the Oasis class ships are so spacious and designed to function well at full capacity, how come even at less than full capacity you need a reservation to see the Broadway Production show in the main theater, a reservation to see the 2nd musical production show in the main theater, a reservation for the ice skating show, a reservation for the Aqua Theater show, a reservation for the Headliner comedy show, a reservation for Studio B, a reservation for all of the Specialty Restaurants and a recommended pre-booked set time reservation even for Anytime Dining?

[AdGuyMG]

Our next cruise will likely be on the Vista. My wife likes new ships. I like the itinerary we are looking at. So it looks likely. I hope we get one of the better Vista experiences that have been reported on CC, rather than one of the over crowded ones that have been reported. .

 

Having been on 42 cruises (7 On Carnival) I came to the realization years ago that no matter what the cruise line, the gripes and complaints here on Cruise Critic about subjective things like food and crowds and unhappy crew members etc.. never translate to the actual onboard experience.

 

The Vista crowding issue gets legs here on Cruise Critic from people who have never been on the ship and jump to conclusions based on hearsay and speculation. Same thing happened on here with the Destiny > Sunshine refit. Yet most of the 2600 people a week who sail her I'm sure have a great time.

 

Take a look at You Tube and the great videos made of the Vista. These people took the time and effort to shoot video and present their fun vacation. If they were that pissed off and disgruntled and the ship was sooooo bad, they could use the same footage to post a "Carnival Sux" video and here's proof.

 

Keep in mind that Cruise Critic reflects a miniscule 1% maybe 2% of people who cruise. If a complaint topic has negative 150 posters, that's not even enough people to fill up 1 lifeboat. Let alone a ship or a fleet.

[quickrate]

If it was so bad why did you not take advantage of the guarantee? I really hate when I see threads like this that everything was so horrible from the start that they did not just get off the ship.

If you have a large family group, and have planned this trip for a while, ending your vacation early is not an attractive idea. I'm sure they had good times as well, but just reporting how they felt about their vacation. It isn't always going to be perfect!

Pat

[BoDidly]

Having been on 42 cruises (7 On Carnival) I came to the realization years ago that no matter what the cruise line, the gripes and complaints here on Cruise Critic about subjective things like food and crowds and unhappy crew members etc.. never translate to the actual onboard experience.

 

The Vista crowding issue gets legs here on Cruise Critic from people who have never been on the ship and jump to conclusions based on hearsay and speculation. Same thing happened on here with the Destiny > Sunshine refit. Yet most of the 2600 people a week who sail her I'm sure have a great time.

 

Take a look at You Tube and the great videos made of the Vista. These people took the time and effort to shoot video and present their fun vacation. If they were that pissed off and disgruntled and the ship was sooooo bad, they could use the same footage to post a "Carnival Sux" video and here's proof.

 

Keep in mind that Cruise Critic reflects a miniscule 1% maybe 2% of people who cruise. If a complaint topic has negative 150 posters, that's not even enough people to fill up 1 lifeboat. Let alone a ship or a fleet.

 

I don't feel seven cruises on Carnival really gives a person the feel of how crowded a ship can be. You may have sailed on different ship classes as well as a different time of the year. I would say a person really gets the details after 20 to 39 or 40 or so cruises. I would think that person has more of an opinion and information to offer with translations to the actual Carnival onboard experience.

[bury me at sea]

I don't feel seven cruises on Carnival really gives a person the feel of how crowded a ship can be. You may have sailed on different ship classes as well as a different time of the year. I would say a person really gets the details after 20 to 39 or 40 or so cruises. I would think that person has more of an opinion and information to offer with translations to the actual Carnival onboard experience.

 

I am much more interested in the experience someone had a week or a month or six months ago.

 

My first cruise was in 1965, a trans-Pacific Hong Kong to San Francisco. It has zero relevance to cruising today.

 

It takes exactly one recent cruise to relate an experience.

[BoDidly]

I am much more interested in the experience someone had a week or a month or six months ago.

 

My first cruise was in 1965, a trans-Pacific Hong Kong to San Francisco. It has zero relevance to cruising today.

 

It takes exactly one recent cruise to relate an experience.

Sure 1965 :cool: you think ? So the OP deserves to have their opinion too ,right ? Opinions are like Xholes everybody has one,even you ;p Edited August 3, 2017 by BoDidly

[Nein2]

If it was so bad why did you not take advantage of the guarantee? I really hate when I see threads like this that everything was so horrible from the start that they did not just get off the ship.

You hate an honest opinion?

[A&Jfamily]

I don't feel seven cruises on Carnival really gives a person the feel of how crowded a ship can be. You may have sailed on different ship classes as well as a different time of the year. I would say a person really gets the details after 20 to 39 or 40 or so cruises. I would think that person has more of an opinion and information to offer with translations to the actual Carnival onboard experience.

 

I would have to check my own signature to see exactly how many cruises I have taken total, but I think I am at about 16 with 4 more booked, all but 3 of which have been on CCL. I have been on Fantasy class, Spirit Class, Destiny/Triumph/Victory class (I'm not going to argue semantics on that), Conquest Class, Sunshine and Dream Class. If I have missed one, other than the Vista, so be it. I am Platinum so have at least 75 sea days but couldn't tell you the exact number because it isn't relevant.

 

I am confident that I can provide an informed opinion and information relative to my experiences, thoughts and preferences about the actual onboard experience. I like things about all the ships, dislike things about others and have noticed themes across the line. Sunshine is my favorite and I know exactly why; the others all have pros and cons. I am perfectly happy to sail the Fascination in March for the Island hopper because I cruise for the ports more than the ship and I want to see these new places. We don't need a lot of bells and whistles and are content to enjoy our balcony but do enjoy the wide variety of food an bars offered on Sunshine, but feel that we will be so busy in our ports that it won't really be missed.

 

Each vacation is what you make of it. And whether or not you have just a few cruises for comparison or a 100, it is still a legitimate comparison based upon that person's experience. I also agree with the poster above who so wisely points out that a 100 cruises from 20 years ago will not be of much value when discussing the cruises of today. Recency is paramount.