New to Carnival- tell me what I need to know (Carnival Magic)

[bubba83]

Hi All! We are new to carnival. I have sailed RC 5x and Norwegian 1x. We have two big milestones coming up next spring/early summer so decided now with the new covid policies we can finally start cruising again. We chose the Magic out of NYC in June of 2023 because my kiddos wont need to be vaccinated. From my understanding we will need a covid test for my 12 year old but not my 10 year old prior to sailing, and hubby and I are vaccinated so no test for us. We will be stopping at Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and Half Moon Cay I believe and have 4 sea days. Share all your thoughts, dos and don'ts, etc please and thank you. 

 

Also, tell me about the Carnival cheers alcohol drink package. Not sure if it will be worth it now since hubby is on some medications where he shouldn't drink heavily multiple days in a row. 

 

So excited to be back on a ship!

[1kaper]

2 minutes ago, bubba83 said:

We will be stopping at Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and Half Moon Cay I believe and have 4 sea days. Share all your thoughts, dos and don'ts, etc please and thank you. 

 

If you mind the sun, I would suggest renting a clamshell on HMC.  They tend to sell out.  HMC is beautiful but there is little shade.  There is a bit at the very end of the beach if you are willing to walk down there.  Also the later you get off the boat, the further down you have to go to get your clamshell.  

 

3 minutes ago, bubba83 said:

Also, tell me about the Carnival cheers alcohol drink package. Not sure if it will be worth it now since hubby is on some medications where he shouldn't drink heavily multiple days in a row. 

it's hard to say for sure, but I'm guessing you probably are better off not getting it.  The package is pricey but if you tend to drink a lot, it can be worth it. If only one person is drinking it would be really hard to make it worth it. 
Some will say not to forget that specialty coffees, milkshakes and other non-alcoholic drinks are included.  Depending on if that is his thing it might be worth it. 

If you scroll down there is a chart that will help you decide if it is worth it depending on your habits. 

https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/carnival-drink-packages/

 

Also consider that the drink package doesn't start until day 2 of the cruise when sailing out of NY or Texas.  You are not charged for that first day. 

[ober134]

June is a long way off, so what exists today may be different by then. Folks tend to bash CCL, but we enjoy it. We find the food is fine, entertainment is adequate and staff is suburb. Keep expectations in check and have fun. Also, there are many reviews here. Find a couple and it will provide a good idea. Those ports are very family friendly.

[Essiesmom]

At the top left of the Carnival page, just below the red star with Find your roll call…is See posts about…and a drop down menu of ship names.  Click on Magic and you will get a list of threads mentioning the Magic.  Lots of members don’t know about that feature.  EM

Edited August 24, 2022 by Essiesmom

[BoozinCroozin]

Magic was our first cruise and it sailed right around 60% capacity. It was a lot of fun. Maybe it was finally being able to vacation after 3 years, sick of the covid stuff, or whatever. In the end, it was a blast and needed. 

 

I don't know what to say about lines or anything with increased capacity and staffing shortages. I can say when Guy's opened at 11AM on a Sea Day, the line was about 100 people deep. Give it 30 minutes and it was only about 10 deep. Hardly a line for anything. I only really had 2 complaints and they are minor: the juice machines had to be watered down. The concentrated juice did not have enough water. You could feel your enamel on your teeth eating away from the sugar. Just add a little water, stir, and it was fine. Lack of options to eat after hours. Pizza was it and to me it was worse than a $0.99 Totino's frozen pizza from the grocery store. They need something open late without a fee.

 

As for Cheers, you have to buy it for all persons 21 and older in the room. Unlike other lines where you can have a medical waiver, Carnival doesn't allow it. Since your husband cannot have multiple over the course of consecutive days, you may lose out. The break even point is ~4.5 alcoholic drinks per day. This does not count bottled Powerade, sodas, etc. But hitting that magical number per day is not difficult if you can have multiple drinks per day. My bartender saw me each morning heading to breakfast. On the way back, he had a drink ready for me at 7:15AM. Kind of nice to have that.

Edited August 24, 2022 by BoozinCroozin