Carnival Magic or NCL Breakaway

[lieslt]

We are trying to decide between Carnival Magic and NCL Breakaway.  We have been on several cruises but have not been on either of these ships.  Family of 5 with 3 teenage boys 18, 16 and 16.  They don't really do anything with the teen clubs so not a priority.  Mostly play bball when onboard.  Itineraries are pretty much the same so really looking for differences in the ship. TIA! 

[elcuchio24]

7 minutes ago, lieslt said:

We are trying to decide between Carnival Magic and NCL Breakaway.  We have been on several cruises but have not been on either of these ships.  Family of 5 with 3 teenage boys 18, 16 and 16.  They don't really do anything with the teen clubs so not a priority.  Mostly play bball when onboard.  Itineraries are pretty much the same so really looking for differences in the ship. TIA! 

 

We did breakaway last year, and have a cruise booked on Magic for this fall. Breakway is a great ship, for teens, I would probably recommend it. Nice ball court, always a game going. Good climbing/ropes course, bowling alley/pool tables/air hockey/good waterslides, super nice arcade if they are in to that. 

 

Magic looks great too. They are pretty similar ships although Breakaway is bigger, and about +1000 passengers. If I had teens though, I would probably steer towards Breakaway. 

[Carol1560]

I just returned from a cruise on breakaway(Feb 2019), It is a very nice ship.  I really think Carnival has better food.  The Breakaway has alot of "extra" pay restaurants and they make you think that if you dont pay, you are missing something.  I have loved Carnival's brunch.  I think the MDR on Carnival has better food as well.  But as far as the buffet, Breakaway has everything you could possibly want.

 

The rooms on the Breakaway are smaller than on Carnival is that makes a difference to you.  

You can order bottled water but you really dont need it.  Their water tasted pretty good.

You cannot take soda on board with you, they charge you 3.50 plus 20% gratutity for a coke.  I dont do laundry on a cruise but their is no washing machines, you can send it to be cleaned.

[lieslt]

Thx for your responses.  The ships really do look very similar and prices are about the same although we will not know our room numbers beforehand on the breakaway.  Hard to choose and know what is the best for our family...bad problem to have lol!

[darwinsrule]

We have two cruises on Getaway which is bascially Breakaway, and we love Getaway.  Second favourite ship after Disney Fantasy and will happily sail on her again when we get the chance.  Our girls are younger but both still want back on her.  Waterslides were great.  Shows were fun (I can't tell you how many times we have seen Legally Blonde), Burn the Floor is great.  The dinner and dancing show in the Manhatten Room is a must do. Now it has been 3 years since our last cruise on NCL.  We had NCL Jewel booked for a Southbound Alaska crusie this August but cancelled when the opportunity to go back on the Wonder came up. Not entirely happy with the corporate direction of NCL, little too much focus on the bottom line while sacrificing customer service (not a smart longterm business plan in my opinion).

 

We were doing the same back and forth between Carnival Magic and Breakaway for the last week of August.  Breakaway has a much better itinerary (Western) vs. what is effectively a beach cruise through Carnival's private ports. Ended up going with a cove balcony Magic, in part because we have always talked about wanting to try one, but primarily because of price. We have Disney Wonder booked for February of 2020 on her repo from San Juan to NOLA and that is the priority for us.  But since our last cruise was Navigator of the Seas in March of 2018, going almost 2 years without of cruise was unthinkable so we need something.  It has been 12 months and we are already in cruise withdrawl (sounds a bit like a 12 step program  is required). 

[Jerseygirl1416]

If you are pool people or just sun lounger people I recommend the Magic. Unless you don’t mind wall to wall loungers all touching eachother over the entire ship and the pool area is cramped and too shaded. And if you smoke the Breakaway would be a good choice too. Smoking is everywhere and where you can’t smoke it smells like smoke. The Breakaway was my least favorite ship ever and the Breeze was one of my favorites. YMMV.

[April42749]

1 hour ago, lieslt said:

Thx for your responses.  The ships really do look very similar and prices are about the same although we will not know our room numbers beforehand on the breakaway.  Hard to choose and know what is the best for our family...bad problem to have lol!

We did the BA 5 times....always "guarantees".

I don't even hit 5' and DH is about 5'6".  We are both slim and we each take one carry-on (no other luggage).

The last 2 times we were on the BA we had "insides".  The first one was fine...enough room to move and enough storage space.

The second time they "upgraded" us to a "family inside"...which was meant for 4 passengers.  It was the tiniest cabin ever.  The 2 additional spaces were the fold down cots.  If our beds were together there was absolutely no space to move...and when separated there was the narrow passage.  In addition....no storage space.  No real shelves and a tiny closet....really awful.  Keep in mind...all we had were 2 carry-ons.  It was so small DH was embarrassed to let people see our cabin (and trust me, he isn't a snob).  Think sardines in a can....

[linbobky]

3 hours ago, Carol1560 said:

I just returned from a cruise on breakaway(Feb 2019), It is a very nice ship.  I really think Carnival has better food.  The Breakaway has alot of "extra" pay restaurants and they make you think that if you dont pay, you are missing something.  I have loved Carnival's brunch.  I think the MDR on Carnival has better food as well.  But as far as the buffet, Breakaway has everything you could possibly want.

 

The rooms on the Breakaway are smaller than on Carnival is that makes a difference to you.  

You can order bottled water but you really dont need it.  Their water tasted pretty good.

You cannot take soda on board with you, they charge you 3.50 plus 20% gratutity for a coke.  I dont do laundry on a cruise but their is no washing machines, you can send it to be cleaned.

we just got off the breakaway 2 weeks ago. the food in the mdr was always good but the buffet food was the worst i have ever had on 29 cruises. always cold. but, what i think is bad some think it is the best. enjoy your cruise whichever you decide on.

[SRQbeachgirl]

We took our son (then 19) on Magic last year and he loved it. There seemed to always be a BB game going, lots of teenagers on the Sports deck playing pool, ping pong, etc. 

 

I gave him the choice of trying NCL this year or going on Carnival Breeze (Magic's sister ship), but Carnival's pizza (free, 24/7) gave the Breeze the winning vote.

[nah31]

On 3/15/2019 at 4:03 PM, lieslt said:

We are trying to decide between Carnival Magic and NCL Breakaway.  We have been on several cruises but have not been on either of these ships.  Family of 5 with 3 teenage boys 18, 16 and 16.  They don't really do anything with the teen clubs so not a priority.  Mostly play bball when onboard.  Itineraries are pretty much the same so really looking for differences in the ship. TIA! 

This is my same dilemma right now- trying to decide between these two! Traveling with my 15 yr old son.

I have read in a few places that the bball court on the Magic closes at 5pm or 6pm daily. Can anyone verify that?

If indeed true, that would be a deal breaker for us !

Thanks!

[lieslt]

We decided on Carnival Magic and will be sailing next week.  I hope the bball court does not close at 5/6pm as my boys will be very disappointed!  I will let you know once we are back!

[TNcruising02]

We sailed on the Magic a few years ago and my son had a great time playing doge ball in the basketball area.

Have a great cruise!  We are on that ship in June.

[jimbo5544]

I missed providing input, but would be interested in your experience when you return (I do not think you will be disappointed) please come back and let us know your thoughts.

 

[UPNYGuy]

On 3/16/2019 at 9:53 AM, darwinsrule said:

 Not entirely happy with the corporate direction of NCL, little too much focus on the bottom line while sacrificing customer service (not a smart longterm business plan in my opinion).

same here. I have seen the cost double (and triple in some cases) for Norwegian since 2014. We switched from Holland America to NCL because of numerous issues with HAL, and now I am watching NCL mess with revenue management to the extreme. I used to have an espresso martini included with the original beverage package (when the UPB was priced at $50), but it is priced out of the standard beverage package now (and the UBP is almost $100). 

 

That, and the "no soda may be brought on board", type stunts  are a huge turn off. I don't care if I have to buy on board, but it makes me think "ok, what else would change by the time I sail..." so I have switched my bookings to MSC (which has been going through growing pains, but makes things clear), and Carnival.

 

I think it is amusing that Carnival, the supposed entry level line, has been giving better service than Holland America. It is a huge misconception that as you go up the tiers, service improves. I find the airport check-in at FLL and MIA to be among the easiest embarkation check-in to date. 

Edited April 12, 2019 by UPNYGuy

[Laszlo]

On 3/15/2019 at 4:03 PM, lieslt said:

We are trying to decide between Carnival Magic and NCL Breakaway.  We have been on several cruises but have not been on either of these ships.  Family of 5 with 3 teenage boys 18, 16 and 16.  They don't really do anything with the teen clubs so not a priority.  Mostly play bball when onboard.  Itineraries are pretty much the same so really looking for differences in the ship. TIA! 

A couples video's from the BA

 

 

 

 

[grandmarnnurse]

On 3/15/2019 at 4:03 PM, lieslt said:

We are trying to decide between Carnival Magic and NCL Breakaway.  We have been on several cruises but have not been on either of these ships.  Family of 5 with 3 teenage boys 18, 16 and 16.  They don't really do anything with the teen clubs so not a priority.  Mostly play bball when onboard.  Itineraries are pretty much the same so really looking for differences in the ship. TIA! 

I have sailed the Getaway, which is a sister ship to the Breakaway, and had a lovely time. But in my honest opinion, our Breeze cruise (sister ship to the Magic) was WAY MORE FUN! A lot more activities, plus more grab-and-go foods, like burritos, burgers, and BBQ that your teens would prefer for lunch, not to mention their pizza is 100% better than Royal or NCL. Then there’s the Dive In Movies in the evening. We are booked for the Magic next April (2020) for our 50th Anniversary, and when we returned from the Breeze in March, we added a week to our Magic cruise because we loved it so. Now we have 14 days at sea, a B2B, in the same cabin. Without a doubt, your teens would prefer Carnival. 

[lieslt]

We had a good time on Carnival Magic.  I will do a full review soon but here are a few things to note.  Bball court does close every night around 5:30/6pm.  La Cucina is directly below the bball court so assume that is the reason the it closes so early.  We ate there for lunch on the first sea day and you could definitely hear the basketballs!  This was a definite bummer for my boys as they love to play bball.  On RCI Oasis of the Seas a few year ago they played most nights so was disappointed on this cruise that court closed so early.  They did enjoy the dive in movies in the evening.  But make sure to get there early...seats fill up quickly.  We saw a couple of the shows...nothing I would stand in line for or would be disappointed if I missed it.  Favorite was the rock show.  Food in main dining room was pretty good, we did not hit any of the pay restaurants.  We were all frustrated with the buffet closing down at 2:30pm.  Most days we would not get back onboard until 3 or 4pm and would all head up to get something to eat.  Burger and sandwich place would be open but very long lines since the buffet lines were closed and most people would be getting back on ship about the same time and hungry.  Not a deal breaker but definitely something we did not like about this ship.  Seemed to be a lot more lines than on Oasis. Magic is definitely showing wear and tear but all of the staff were always courteous and very helpful.  We are booked on the Breakaway for April 2020 so lucky to get the best of both ships!