Just off the Magic - 2nd time on her - Kinda Sorta Review

[Clearwater]

Let me first start by saying, this is the second time on Magic.  We sailed her last March and had a so-so experience.  I will get to that later as a personal preference. 

 

This trip was phenomenal for us. Better experience than the last several cruises I’ve been on in fact.

We stayed the night before at the port even tho we only live a couple hours from there.  I despise I4, it was Easter weekend, the Parks were packed and I didn't want to be stressed morning of.  We settled in, had a great dinner at Fish Lips and got to bed early. The next morning we took the hotel shuttle to the port.  We are platinum officially and the quick boarding was a great perk.  We were on board within 20 minutes. 

 

 

We had a balcony cabin on deck 6. I didn't like our cabin as much as last time.  This was me not entirely looking at the map.  Last year, we had a ton of privacy and it was dark at night which was nice for stargazing. This cabin was right above deck 5 where there is a walking path, the crew area and a lot of lights.  I won't book there in the future because we enjoy more privacy.  Heard some running the last night down the hall but nothing extreme. Heard it worse in the past. More on this later. 

 

We only ate in the MDR twice for dinner. We alternated between the steakhouse twice, buffet once and Cucina the rest.

MDR was actually decent, better than last time I think. Portions have shrunk significantly.  I get it but just pointing it out.   We avoided dressy nights there as it took us over 2.5 hours last year on formal evenings.  We opted to book the steakhouse on both formal nights.   Still got dressed up (not everyone did) and enjoyed both evenings very much.  Highlights:  Tuna Tartar and the lambchops.  Desserts in the streakhouse are getting tired for me so I really didn't partake. 

 

Dinner in the buffet was awful the one night we went but wasn't expecting too much. 

Dinner in Cucina 4 times was incredible. It's one of our favorites.  I am 100% Sicilian and picky and the Magic Cucina is one of the best I have been in. 

 

Lunches - twice at guys BBQ - was excellent.  Day 1 was the best, everyone went to the buffet and we had no line.  That changed through the week as it was quickly discovered. 

Lunch once at the little Sushi add on counter.  Had a poke tuna bowl,  fresh and excellent. 

One annoyance - pizza line one day for lunch was about 40 minutes long. I noticed the Seafood Shack on the App stated it opened at 1pm.  I sat in the pizza line for over 30 minutes and then realized it was close to 1 so I left the long line and decided to order a lobster roll.   Others also in line. Crickets... Noone was there.  Finally someone came out and said it didn't open until 3.  Not a lot of happy people.  I wasted an hour trying to get lunch and it was a bust.  First world problems but the app had a lot of wrong times, and locations through the week and they never updated it.  (Comedy changed to another lounge one evening and tons of people waiting).  Workers milling around, didn't tell anyone it changed, no announcements, no app update.  Rushed to other end of ship late to find it.  Again - first world problems. 

 

Went to brunch on 2 sea days and was good.  First time we were forced to sit at a table for 8.  I hadn't had coffee yet. I wasn't in the mood to sit with strangers (sorry not sorry), didn't feel like small talk and was judged for ordering a mimosa and the talk went straight political.  Weird crowd and wasn't for me.    I was happy to get out of there.  Second time, we pushed for a table for 2 and saw many people seated in 2's and had a much more relaxing time.  Food was good as well. 

 

We stuck to the comedy club nightly (LOVED the smoke free annex!) , alchemy bar, piano bar once which was also our first time trying it, the nightclub for a motown theme and casinos. We had fun sitting at alchemy once and met a lot of people doing trivia and had fun with them.  

 

Cabin steward was attentive and very friendly.

 

A few Ports were outstanding, only reason we chose this ship again so soon. St Kitt's and St Maarten was two of my faves!

St Maarten - Went to Orient Beach to Bikini Beach restaurant.  We rented chairs, umbrellas and table.  When we were ready, we had a long very french lunch at the restaurant, enjoyed our conversation with one of the owners and just relaxed.  Really wonderful day. 

St Kitt's - Booked a ResortPass at the Park Hyatt.  WOW - luxurious resort, stunning views, had the resort almost to ourselves and a beautiful lunch and drinks

San Juan - Didn't get off the boat.  Sadly we had to be back on by 1:30 so wasn't worth it to us that day. Sort of a bust for there I think.

Gran Turk - Rented a golf cart and zipped around the island.  Discovered some new little spots we didn't find before.  Lunch, Drinks, Shopping and beach day on our own terms.  Enjoyable. 

 

We enjoyed the jacuzzis 3 times. Once with a bunch of teens who were wonderful. - will get to this later. 

 

I joined the sail group on FB and there were about 1000 people in the chat. 

Through the week - there were NON STOP complaints. 

Mostly about kids.  Kids running non stop in the halls, calling cabins, knocking on doors late at night, kids pushing elderly people over, a stolen jackpot in the casino, numerous fights, alleged sexual AND physical assault on females (kids) and a lot more.  It’s unfortunate that many had a different experience than us. I saw a lot of unhappy comments about what they experienced and we really didn’t encounter any of it. Like zero. We were up until 2am nightly and never saw one iota of the negative posts I’ve read. So I’m thankful. In my past, I’ve had way way worse experiences with trashy and drunk adults. This time I saw a couple but not awful. We also didn't hit the Lido nor the pizza area late at night so not sure if that is where most of it occured.  

 

The kids we encountered were lovely.  We are childfree so not like we seek out the company of others.  lol - but I didn't have any negative encounters like the majority in the other group.  We had intelligent, adult conversations with a group of teens in the hottub one day,  two at the buffet by themselves and had a couple very thoughtfully hold doors, step out for people to get in and help a few people.  One photo that was posted in the group showed a used condom and a camp carnival band together on one of the decks so obviously I am not naive LOL. 

 

Only smelled pot once from a very overserved older adult in the comedy club.  He had a pen and then stood up, crashed a bunch of glasses into oblivion and was escorted out by one of his family members.  

 

With that said - my experience last year was different.  And I realized it was also because of humans.  So I sorta get it. I had several experiences last year on the Magic of some realllllllllllly trashy people, non stop drugs, some really over the top gross incidents and more.  And you know.......it apparently did affect my week.  This time I saw ZERO of what others encountered and had an amazing time.  

 

So all in all - it's one big social experiment on a petri dish!  This time - it was EXCELLENT!

Edited April 17, 2023 by Clearwater

[balcony bound]

Glad to hear you had an enjoyable time!!  I agree, it's the humans.  I was on the Magic a few months ago and it was one of my best cruises with my only complaint the WiFi.  We are on Magic again the end of this month, looking forward to it.

[Clearwater]

Just now, balcony bound said:

Glad to hear you had an enjoyable time!!  I agree, it's the humans.  I was on the Magic a few months ago and it was one of my best cruises with my only complaint the WiFi.  We are on Magic again the end of this month, looking forward to it.

So I unfortunately am a consultant and brought two laptops to check in for work on many occasions through the week.  This time was MUCH better, stronger signal and faster loading on my laptops so I was able to work quicker.  Last year was AWFUL.  But there were also tons of complaints from others they had awful connections and constant dropping.  So who knows!! Last year it was awful for me, this time very efficient.  Maybe the signal was stronger to where my cabin was this time.  We were close to elevators so maybe! 

[balcony bound]

21 minutes ago, Clearwater said:

Maybe the signal was stronger to where my cabin was this time.  We were close to elevators so maybe! 

I'm pretty sure it IS location.  I was aft last time, and aft again this time so not expecting improvement.  Thankfully I don't really need internet this time 🙂

[pe4all]

Love the Magic - going on her again in January out of Miami.  Interested in knowing how a jackpot was "stolen" in the casino?  Any details?

[Clearwater]

8 minutes ago, pe4all said:

 Interested in knowing how a jackpot was "stolen" in the casino?  Any details?

Too many details as all the drama played out on FB lol. 

Apparently a lady won about $1500 (I don't recall the exact amount).  She went to cash out, hit the cashout button and pulled her card and the money stayed on the machine. 

 

This happened to me 3 times on the ship so always watch the machine goes to ZERO before leaving. 

 

She got up, and went to another machine and immediately realized the money didn't transfer.  Meanwhile the young guy next to her saw her win, sat down, cashed out and went right to the pit to cash out and left.   She had security involved, they watched the footage, etc. 

 

Security didn't want to get involved - as the kid said he hit it and was a new gambler, didn't do anything illegal etc. 

 

This was BLASTED on FB.  The parents were found on there, lots of name calling, threats etc.  

 

After a few days - the family wanted their good name restored, asked the woman to remove the post and the money was given back to her.  

 

 

[VIFP1987]

1 hour ago, Clearwater said:

Too many details as all the drama played out on FB lol. 

Apparently a lady won about $1500 (I don't recall the exact amount).  She went to cash out, hit the cashout button and pulled her card and the money stayed on the machine. 

 

This happened to me 3 times on the ship so always watch the machine goes to ZERO before leaving. 

 

She got up, and went to another machine and immediately realized the money didn't transfer.  Meanwhile the young guy next to her saw her win, sat down, cashed out and went right to the pit to cash out and left.   She had security involved, they watched the footage, etc. 

 

Security didn't want to get involved - as the kid said he hit it and was a new gambler, didn't do anything illegal etc. 

 

This was BLASTED on FB.  The parents were found on there, lots of name calling, threats etc.  

 

After a few days - the family wanted their good name restored, asked the woman to remove the post and the money was given back to her.  

 

None of this makes sense. I realize you said you didn’t know the exact amount … anything $1200 and above generates a hand pay and a tax slip is issued. The win is paid out via cash in hand or a slip you take to the cage to redeem. If she truly hit a jackpot …  The only way the money could still be in the machine when she left would be because she deposited the money into the machine after she received her money. I further understand that the jackpot she hit could have been a large amount.. but not enough to lock up the machine. Also, whenever you pull your card and leave the machine, the credits automatically deposit into your “casino bank” on your card … even if you don’t hit the cash out button. I don’t see that it’s possible for the credits to stay on the machine after the card was pulled. Please don’t misunderstand me, I realize the information you’ve relayed is based solely on what you read on FB. Not blaming you at all. Just a very confusing tale. 
 

edit … after rereading your post I see that the credits didn’t automatically transfer on three different occasions while you were playing. This is a problem that Carnival needs to address. 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by VIFP1987

[Clearwater]

14 minutes ago, VIFP1987 said:

edit … after rereading your post I see that the credits didn’t automatically transfer on three different occasions while you were playing. This is a problem that Carnival needs to address. 

 

 

As I stated, I didn't remember the amount.  Say it was $1k then. 

The story remains the same. 

 

 

It happened the 3 times to me.  Most of the time, I would pull the card and it would reflect zero.  Not every time. In fact, as I was discussing the scenario with my partner and the other gambler in between us, I mentioned what I read.  They both said the same thing...  pull your card - it goes to zero.  

 

I proved at that moment it doesn't always.   Right then, my $500+. stayed on the machine.  I removed my card.  They insisted I couldn't play.  I then hit repeat bet and my money was still on the machine, no card. 

 

I then put my card back in and redid the steps of cash out.  That time it worked.  There were many machines that would spin for awhile while you tried to cash out.  Definitely needs to be addressed.  

 

[dsain]

We were on this sailing also.  3rd sailing since the covid restart and was by far our best!  The food in the MDR was actually served HOT every night.  We also got out of the dining room in an hour 5/8 nights!   I probably gained 5lbs from the amount of butter I slathered on the very hot bread I was served lol. Our cabin steward (Pan) was amazing!  Closest I have come to twice a day service as he cleaned our cabin in the morning and was always out in the hallway when we went to dinner and asked if we needed anything.  He happily swapped out our. dirty towels multiple nights.

 

We didn’t experience any of the problems the fb group complained about either with the teens.  I guess we were lucky.  We had a great time and compared to our 2 cruises last year (Mardi Gras and sunshine) this was a huge improvement!!

[Clearwater]

1 minute ago, dsain said:

We were on this sailing also.  3rd sailing since the covid restart and was by far our best!  The food in the MDR was actually served HOT every night.  We also got out of the dining room in an hour 5/8 nights!   I probably gained 5lbs from the amount of butter I slathered on the very hot bread I was served lol. Our cabin steward (Pan) was amazing!  Closest I have come to twice a day service as he cleaned our cabin in the morning and was always out in the hallway when we went to dinner and asked if we needed anything.  He happily swapped out our. dirty towels multiple nights.

 

We didn’t experience any of the problems the fb group complained about either with the teens.  I guess we were lucky.  We had a great time and compared to our 2 cruises last year (Mardi Gras and sunshine) this was a huge improvement!!

 

So glad you had a similar experience and saw the crazy reports coming in.  I couldn't believe what I was reading.  I asked myself a few times if I was on the same ship. 

 

Our cabin was also cleaned basically twice a day.  One main clean and I swear at night, it was picked up.  It was excellent service!

 

I regret and don't regret making so many reservations.  Last year - our food was awful in the mdr.  So we decided to book so many of the other spots to have good food.  The two times we went in, the food was fantastic and hot.  Definitely a step up from last march for us!!

 

Sunshine I went on twice in the past and not my favorite.  I want to try Mardi Gras and hear amazing and awful equally so not sure what to do!  

[ChuckF]

I was on the same cruise as well, and we never saw all of the complaints posted on FB. Like you said though, we weren't on Lido or teen club area at night. Did have some kids in the room next to us, and did have some slamming doors as we were trying to sleep in on San Juan day. But, other than that, a really good experience. Food in MDR was better than anticipated. And both my wife and I walked out of the casino on the positive side of the ledger after all was said and done. 

 

For the live music buffs, the Rockband and the Drawbridge Duo were phenomenal. 

[hurricane0226]

We too were on the cruise, and did not witness any of the problems that were stated in your

FB. group. Had a wonderful cruise, and met some other people that we had cruised on the

Magic back in December.

[Down-Unders]

6 hours ago, Clearwater said:

 

So glad you had a similar experience and saw the crazy reports coming in.  I couldn't believe what I was reading.  I asked myself a few times if I was on the same ship. 

 

Our cabin was also cleaned basically twice a day.  One main clean and I swear at night, it was picked up.  It was excellent service!

 

I regret and don't regret making so many reservations.  Last year - our food was awful in the mdr.  So we decided to book so many of the other spots to have good food.  The two times we went in, the food was fantastic and hot.  Definitely a step up from last march for us!!

 

Sunshine I went on twice in the past and not my favorite.  I want to try Mardi Gras and hear amazing and awful equally so not sure what to do!  

Butter slathered on my bread takes me back years to where I was born when you would hear that saying,  thank you!

[Jeafl]

Thanks for the review!  It's so nice to read something positive about the Magic.  We are sailing on it for the first time in November and really looking forward to it. We have a similar itinerary, although we are going to St. Thomas instead of St. Kitts, which is disappointing.

 

What was your favorite dish at Cucina?  We've only done the steakhouse so far, so we are going to try Cucina this time.

[Clearwater]

18 minutes ago, Jeafl said:

Thanks for the review!  It's so nice to read something positive about the Magic.  We are sailing on it for the first time in November and really looking forward to it. We have a similar itinerary, although we are going to St. Thomas instead of St. Kitts, which is disappointing.

 

What was your favorite dish at Cucina?  We've only done the steakhouse so far, so we are going to try Cucina this time.

You can't go wrong in Cucina on Magic.  We ate there several times and last trip as well. 

 

Stand outs:

 

The porkchop - my bf gets this every trip and it's divine.  I steal a few bites. 

The shortrib with italian salsa verde also really good with a side of pasta. 

I love the branzino fish over lentils

Chicken Parm - while not crazy authentic is still crazy good

 

Appetizers - Arancini and calamari realllllly good!  Calamari is a big serving and very tender

Their ruccola salad is incredible to start with as well.  

I don't think you can go wrong in there.  They offer a side of pasta if you want a main dish and not a pasta dish.  It's not advertised but you can get either a nice red marinara or alfredo.  Alfredo is not authentic in italy but their sauce was excellent. Def not jarred and almost like a carbonara.  

Fingerling potatoes also wonderful and veggies cooked perfect.  (sometimes they come out almost raw in other restaurants).  Anyways - enjoy!  I rarely eat at Italian restaurants on land because I cook authentic.  But it's a fave for us.  And the officers on the ship are Italian and always in there as well so that says something.  We are a picky bunch lol

Buon Appetito!  Mangia Mangia ......

[havanadaydreaming]

We are sailing Magic this Dec, will be the first Carnival repeat ship for us.  

 

Ive found CCL buffet to be mediocre recently, across the fleet.  

[Anyislandwilldo]

Thanks for reporting back.  Son and I went on magic a few years back and had a great time.  I guess I am fortunate that I haven't experienced any of the gross activities reported on some of the ships.  Thank you God once again for keeping me safe!!

[skywalkr2]

I'm heading out on the Magic on Friday, so it's good to hear about a positive experience so close to our departure.  I will be on deck nine, so hopefully won't have issues with noise.

[Bostwick girl]

We’ve been on Magic 7 times since 9/30/17, the most recent was February 5, 2023, the John Heald FFS#5 cruise. Have always had good experiences. Food and service has been good. Have really enjoyed the non smoking casino on deck 4.