Magic Aug 3-11 thoughts and review

[Dkconnor]

I use these boards every few years when we are preparing for and returning from a cruise.  Much gratitude for all who post information which allows me to get the most out of my cruise vacations.  We cruised the Magic out of NYC Aug. 3-11.  This was a "rebooked" cruise for us after our original cruise out of Charleston on the Sunshine was canceled (December of 21).  We are a married couple ages 55/65 and we are from the Midwest.  We have been on roughly 11 cruises-7 Carnival, 2 NCL, 1 RC and 1 AmaWaterways. 

 

We drove from Indiana to NJ on August 2 and stayed overnight with relatives and left our car in their driveway.  We took NJ transit train directly to Penn Station for $5.45 per person (what a steal!) and a taxi ($20) to Manhattan Cruise Terminal.  Our "appointment" for Embarkation was 11:00-11:30 am.  We arrived at the terminal around 10:45 am and dropped bags with porters ($5 tip).  Walked right into the terminal, showed our boarding pass, zipped through security, straight to the check in desk and were in a waiting area all in less than 5 minutes.  They had not started boarding any groups yet, but began with the Suite passengers shortly after 11 am.  The Platinum and Diamond members were next, followed by A group, B group, C group etc. (all for the 11-11:30 am slot).  We were on board by 11:50 (not bad at all and certainly not the nightmare process reported here).  I think biggest confusion comes from people who simple don't read/pay attention to the information Carnival sends.  If you show up at the terminal and it's not your assigned time, you're gonna wait...that's all there is too it.  

 

Once on board, we headed to our muster station, got checked in on a staff tablet and watched a crew member demonstrate how to put on a life jacket.  Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy-and ONE of the BEST things to happen to cruising due to Covid! With muster completed, we headed to Lido for a drink at the Red Frog and Guy's burger (yes, they are smaller, but still delicious and big enough that I couldn't finish mine!).  We sat in the shade with a great view of the USS Intrepid which is docked next to the Magic.   After our lunch, we took a walk up to the spa/gym area.  We were staying a Spa Balcony cabin so I wanted to grab my "freebie" scrub and loofah from the Spa desk and make my appointments (massage/facial combo).  The gym is pretty small and has mostly cardio equipment.  The free weight area was tiny and the machine weights were awkwardly placed, but it will all get the job done. 

 

Our cabin was ready exactly as promised at 1:30 pm.  Sign & Sail cards are now in an envelope in your mail box (perhaps they've been there for awhile now, but we haven't been on Carnival since about 2014).  Our Spa balcony was on the Starboard side of the ship.  It was typical balcony cabin and was very clean albeit a little tired looking (couch, drapes etc.).  Our room steward, Anita, is the best we've had on any ship.  That poor woman worked her fanny off-day and night, but yet she ALWAYS stopped what she was doing to chat with us in the hall.  Such a delight!  We made sure to give her some nice cash on the last day (in addition to regular gratuities).  

 

Sail away was a little bit delayed mainly because people don't listen.  The crew made announcements repeatedly about the need to complete Muster before we could sail.  Clearly, people ignored these requests.  Finally the CAPTAIN got on the system and actually talked through the drill (must be a loophole) because right after that we headed out.  Sailing down the Hudson is actually pretty cool.  Great views of the Statue of Liberty and you go under the Verazzano Bridge (just barely)!  We took lots of photos and then headed to our cabin for a quick clean up for dinner at the Steakhouse.

 

We had a 5:30 pm Steakhouse reservation (too early, but I had trouble getting the online reservation system to work prior to the cruise).  We were seated next to the windows and had fabulous view.  Our service staff was good.  We were not offered the free bottle of wine, but we were given one when I requested it.  They had NO red wine (free) and our only option was the St. Helena Chardonnay.  I wouldn't buy it at home, but it was fine for one meal.  Husband had the t-bone and I had the ribeye.  Both steaks cooked perfectly and the sides were also very tasty.

 

Days at Sea-this is how we roll-get up between 6 and 7 am.  I went to Plaza Cafe' for decent coffee, husband hits gym.  I walk the track outside and find seating in the shade.  We meet up after our workouts and grab breakfast (usually around 8:30-9 am).  Lido breakfast was MEH-same exact thing every single day (except bacon which is offered every other day).  We ended up eating mostly at the Iguana Cantina (husband got breakfast burrito and I got huevos rancheros).  This wasn't fabulous, but it was better than the buffet.  I know we could have done Sea day brunch, but neither of us really wanted to go sit through a meal service.  It was all fine.  We don't complain and can always find something that will work for us.  Lots of books, drinks (we did get Cheers pkg.-Husband definitely gets his money's worth/I use mine more for coffee, soda, bottled water and an occasional cocktail), and people watching.   Did I mention that this cruise was PACKED with families?  Apparently, school doesn't start until September on the East coast.  I just didn't think about that at all when I selected this sailing because here in Indiana, kids have been in school for 2-3 weeks already!  Trust me, we won't make the mistake again.  Yikes.  Carnival became a babysitter for hundreds of kids.  Most were fine, some actually polite, but the others were allowed to run wild.  I quietly lost my $h1t by screaming into my pillow when kids would be yelling and racing down our stateroom hallway from 11 pm-1 am or later.  I mean, really?  WTH?  I'm talking about kids who were between 7 and 10 years old.  This is irresponsible parenting for so many reasons.  Anyway, people watching...it was INTERESTING!!

 

Port days-Amber Cove (nothing to see here, folks), Grand Turk (been there done that, it has seen better days), Half Moon Cay (nope, not going to tender-which is another whole post since the tender boats broke down and people couldn't get off the ship!).  We don't cruise for ports because we've been just about everywhere and don't need to do excursions.  We did get off the ship at Amber Cove for a quick walk and at Grand Turk for a brief dip in the ocean.  It was fine and actually exactly what we expected.  

 

Food-it was fine.  Not great, not awful.  My biggest issue is that hot food should be hot-and it usually was not.  Pizza is nice and crispy and hot.  Dinner service was good and actually really speedy.  We never went hungry, but we never said "wow, that was amazing".  

 

Entertainment-hmmm.  The first day of the cruise we had Ryan as cruise director.  I don't generally care who the Cruise director is, unless they annoy me.  He was fine.  The rest of the cruise, however, we had "Cheeky Charli" as she called herself.  UGH.  SO. ANNOYING.  Maybe she's new?  Maybe she just really likes to hear herself on the speaker system?  My husband never says a bad word about anyone, but by the end of the cruise he was mumbling unkind words every time she'd make an announcement.  Anyway, we attended two shows in the theater.  They were typical Carnival quality (read into that however you wish).  We did comedy club once (Percy Crews).  We've heard him before and he is pretty funny.  We spent $10 in the Casino (in about 5 minutes).  One of our favorite things to do is to watch Movies under the Stars/Seaside Theater.  We watched nearly all the films offered on the Lido deck.  A few more films would have been nice since they did repeat them, but overall, we do love just relaxing in a deck chair watching a movie.  Popcorn is $3 and it was terrible (I think the oil was old).  

 

Most evenings, we'd watch the movie then head to the Red Frog Pub and have a drink.  The crew there is so much fun and that area was never very busy.  It's tucked away and I just don't think people know it's there.  We had great fun joking around with the crew each night.  We were usually in bed by 10 pm.  Not going to apologize for going to be early, because I really like sleep and the Carnival beds are always super comfy!

 

Miscellaneous info-I did book a massage/facial combo in the spa.  Pricey?  Yes.  Worth it?  ABSOLUTELY.  Seriously best facial I've ever had! Husband used the steam rooms, thallasotherapy whirlpool etc. as part of our Spa cabin.  I tried to use these one day, but it was so busy and so LOUD (people clearly just don't understand the concept of being quiet and relaxing) that I just gave up and didn't go back.  

 

Disembarking-we were planning to spend the night in NYC so we weren't in any hurry to get off the ship.  We set luggage out the night before, got up around 6 am and had a nice leisurely breakfast.  Self-assist was called around 7:30 and it took almost 2 hours to get all of them off the ship.  This is where the "East coast" attitude reared it's ugly head.  People-calm down and follow crew instructions and be patient.  We had a disembark time of 9-9:45 am (btw you have to wait in a line the day before to get luggage tags/time to disembark which is NOT COOL.  Put the damn tags on the bed, Carnival!). It went pretty smoothly and we were off the ship about 10 am.  Luggage was right where it was supposed to be, very short immigration line and we were outside the terminal by 10:15.  We chose to walk to our hotel (about 20 minutes) since Taxi's were nearly impossible to get (hint, walk to 11th Ave for better Taxi access).  

 

Overall Impressions-having not been on a Carnival ship in over 8 years, I could definitely tell the cutbacks/changes.  The demographic cruising during our week seemed to be made up of many first time cruisers.  Our Spa balcony cabin was flanked by families (4 people per cabin) on either side, and we had a herd of elephants above us. Who books a Spa cabin and puts kids in it?  The ship was crowded and loud.  We've cruised on the Dream (same class as Magic I think) before and it did not feel crowded or exceptionally loud.  Perhaps New Yorker's need to shout to be heard over the traffic?  Not sure, but damn...so.much.yelling.  My husband and I still had a great time because life's too short to be nasty! We each read about 4-5 books and enjoyed looking out at that beautiful sea and sky.  We have made a mental note to avoid sailing when East Coast schools are on vacation. With this cruise complete, I will likely start to investigate some other lines as I'd like a slightly elevated experience.  Carnival is still fun and is generally a good value for the price. 

 

Happy cruising to you all!

 

[ninjacat123]

Great review!  Thanks for taking the time!!

[matt87]

`good review, and pretty much spot on. i live in RI and have sailed from NYC in the past on carnival, but this was the last time. my wife and i sailed with a group of friends totaling 10. we were always doing something. i found the same issues as you with the kids. we were on deck 8 post side mid. i swear it was the loudest deck on the ship. 3:30 am kids still running and yelling. oh and the weed! god, do they even bother to screen guests for illegal drugs anymore? it was everywhere. on a side note the night of the last island stop my wife started to feel sick, then me the next morning. we self quarantined in our room for the remainder of the cruise. our friends took turns bringing us food and drinks. we knew it was going to be covid. we tested after we got home, both positive. anyways, sailing the new Celebration next. i just dont have the love for the dream class i used to. they seem cramped, and overcrowded. 

[rrraydon]

Thanks for taking the time to give us your review! ☺️

[Dkconnor]

Matt87…yes, the pot smoke was terrible! Forgot to mention that! Hope you’re all feeling better! 

[RazorPokesHoney]

Thanks for the review! We'll be on her next month for our anniversary except we're going north.

[mondello]

Thank you for posting, covered all the bases. I’ve done 4 Carnival cruises since the restart, never had to wait for luggage tags. Always get Disembarkation paper in cabin with all instructions and where to pick up the tags. Tags were on rack from 12:00-6:00 the last sea day.

[mom1965]

what happened to Ryan?  we are cruising next week - I hope he is back, he was great on our June cruise.

[shof515]

12 minutes ago, mom1965 said:

what happened to Ryan?  we are cruising next week - I hope he is back, he was great on our June cruise.

I just off the Magic today, Ryan is back onboard

[IslandHppy]

Well done -thank you 🙂

[Stick93]

Off the Magic today…
 

First carnival cruise in 3 years. 
 

Carnival will always be my first love….

 

The ship looked tired, worn and unkept…

The staff looks overworked…

The product is stale. 
 

They definitely catering to new cruisers who may not know better. 

[sullyd]

Enjoyed your review, debating weather or not to spend 1000.00 on a 7day inside cabin sept.10 to Canada. ( not a bad price for 2) is it carnival cut backs or just staff shortages. 

[sullyd]

16 hours ago, Dkconnor said:

Matt87…yes, the pot smoke was terrible! Forgot to mention that! Hope you’re all feeling better! 

On the decks or in the rooms?

[Dkconnor]

1 hour ago, sullyd said:

Enjoyed your review, debating weather or not to spend 1000.00 on a 7day inside cabin sept.10 to Canada. ( not a bad price for 2) is it carnival cut backs or just staff shortages. 

Both.  I did find the staff to be very pleasant (when you greet them and get to know them).  They are all working their tails off.  My best guess is that staffing issues are probably occuring industry wide...but I don't know that for sure. 

[Dkconnor]

1 hour ago, sullyd said:

On the decks or in the rooms?

I could smell it from our balcony, when walking on the lido and up on the sports deck and in Grand Turk/beach.  Also, on a side note, post-cruise the smell was so strong in NYC proper that you'd never need to buy any! Apparently, it's now legal in NY but the "rules" around it haven't been establised therefore people are just taking care of business with no repercussions. 🥴

[nybumpkin]

9 hours ago, shof515 said:

I just off the Magic today, Ryan is back onboard

We were on the August 3 sailing and wondered what happened to Ryan. He was CD when we sailed and we saw him the first sea day. Then he vanished and Cheeky Charlie took over; she never introduced herself as the "cruise director," but as an entertainment staff member. When we disembarked and saw her at the gangway, she mentioned that she was leaving the ship that day. Ryan must have still been aboard during the cruise - all I can figure is that he might have become ill.

 

OP, thanks for posting your thoughts - spot on.

[michelle028]

Thanks for posting!

 

Do you remember if there were any Caribbean bands playing on the Magic?

[sullyd]

14 hours ago, Dkconnor said:

I could smell it from our balcony, when walking on the lido and up on the sports deck and in Grand Turk/beach.  Also, on a side note, post-cruise the smell was so strong in NYC proper that you'd never need to buy any! Apparently, it's now legal in NY but the "rules" around it haven't been establised therefore people are just taking care of business with no repercussions. 🥴

Sounds like security or carnival doesn’t care.

[mondello]

14 hours ago, Dkconnor said:

I could smell it from our balcony, when walking on the lido and up on the sports deck and in Grand Turk/beach.  Also, on a side note, post-cruise the smell was so strong in NYC proper that you'd never need to buy any! Apparently, it's now legal in NY but the "rules" around it haven't been establised therefore people are just taking care of business with no repercussions. 🥴

New Orleans and Seattle are Up In Smoke, too.

[nycruise1]

On 8/14/2022 at 7:49 PM, Dkconnor said:

The demographic cruising during our week seemed to be made up of many first time cruisers. 

 

There were 4300 guests with about 1800 blue, 1200 red, 1000 gold, 250 platinum and 28 diamond.

 

On 8/15/2022 at 6:31 PM, nybumpkin said:

We were on the August 3 sailing and wondered what happened to Ryan. He was CD when we sailed and we saw him the first sea day. Then he vanished and Cheeky Charlie took over; she never introduced herself as the "cruise director," but as an entertainment staff member. When we disembarked and saw her at the gangway, she mentioned that she was leaving the ship that day. Ryan must have still been aboard during the cruise - all I can figure is that he might have become ill.

He was not feeling well and eventually tested positive for covid.  Cheeky had been scheduled for vacation so this was her last week.  While not a cruise director, she told me she had subbed once before when the CD had a death in the family.

[NDIrishO3]

I laughed a little bit at your Cheeky Charli comments.  We were on the Magic in June and had a great cruise.  Ryan was the cruise director and was awesome.  I didn’t know any other entertainment staff names except for Cheeky Charli because she stood out to us (and not in a good way)!  We literally saw her twice the whole 8 days, on the docks as we were getting back on the ship in ports, and both times we thought she was way over the top and annoying enough that we remembered her name.  I think she’s just trying to be fun and enthusiastic but yeah it needs toned down a bit.