Carnival Magic Sept 2-10 8 Day –789 days since "Mission Accomplished" against bacon crisis.

[mz-s]

We parked at Asphalt Lots. This is a company in nearby Chesapeake VA that rents out a local community college’s parking deck. We arrived around 11:00 AM. We had to wait maybe 15-20 minutes for a shuttle bus. They mostly use 15-passenger vans with the 2 back seats removed to accommodate luggage – so each bus can accommodate at most 7 passengers. They have enough shuttles it seems. Considering Asphalt Lots is half the price of parking at the terminal recommended lot, the savings is worth it. I do not know how they handle mobility challenges so that is something to check on if you have someone in your party in a wheelchair etc.

 

We were at the terminal and walked through embarkation without stopping at all – granted we are platinum but from what I could see I didn’t see much of any lines for the general queue either. I don’t think they offer FTTF for Norfolk sailings at this time so perhaps that is part of it.

 

I didn’t actually time it but I am estimating that we were dropping off our carry-on in our cabin by 12, so from arriving at the Asphalt Lots parking lot to our cabin within an hour is pretty incredible in my book. Embarkation gets an A+ in my book. I am excited about the future for this port. Frankly I’d probably still rather be cruising out of Charleston, but we can only play with the cards we’re dealt.

 

Speaking of cards - After sail away, it took over 2 hours for the casino to open. I felt that was rather long considering Norfolk is right at the ocean, unlike Baltimore for example. In any event, it did open obviously.

 

When we dropped off our carry-ons I noticed our cabin smelled strongly of weed and there was a burn spot in the shower where they tamped out their roach. Obviously the cruisers in my cabin before didn’t receive the 5^th strongly worded letter from Christine Duffy and they must be illiterate because they didn’t read the tacky sticker on the wall in the cabin saying it was a $500 fine. I have no idea if they were fined or not. The smell quickly dissipated once we got to sea and the ventilation systems were working.

 

Our cabin steward was attentive and obviously overworked. It’s a shame how Carnival has cut crew and the level of service we get, yet increased our suggested gratuities several times over the past year or so.

 

On the ship we experienced consistently long lines for food at the buffets, the pools hot tubs and lounge areas were often crowded. Yes, the days of ships sailing at reduced capacity are long gone. What was disappointing is they would often close half or more of the buffet stations during peak times, and the food stations that were open were not appropriately staffed for the crowd. The lines for pizza, Guy’s, etc., were often 15-20 deep and complaints about the lines were a common theme for the duration of the cruise.

 

They still haven't changed the menu at Guy's that advertises fresh-cut fries when they just dump a bag of Ore Ida into the deep fryer. Far from the biggest disappointment food-wise, however.

 

Absolutely nothing we ate on this cruise wowed us in any way, shape, or form. As a matter of fact I am fully convinced I would have eaten better food if I had stayed home and eaten at Golden Corral this past week. The breakfast buffet was positively disgusting every morning – I usually ate two boiled eggs. The eggs were so far beyond boiled it was like eating a cue ball. On days the veil was lifted and the inner sanctum was opened and we could actually be trusted with bacon, I savored my two slices with every fiber of my being. One day a third slice stuck to the tongs and the crew member was unable to free it – so he relented and let me have it. I have never been so happy. He scowled in defeat. On Chocolate Extravaganza day, the line for cake was so long you would have thought Christine Duffy herself was at the end of it. No, just some Duncan-Heinz chocolate cake with flavorless icing. I thought I had COVID at first and had lost my sense of taste. But in reality they seem to just smear pure Crisco on their cakes. Even my previous favorite the Funfetti Cheesecake was nasty.

 

This was an 8 day cruise so on the second elegant night we got treated to lobster. The lobster was so horribly overcooked they needn’t have bothered. Is this Carnival’s new strategy – to offer food that is so bad, people are forced to pay for the upcharge restaurants? I cannot comment on how good they are, I refuse to pay for them. They tried to make me pay $5 for a third entree when I refused to eat my Lobster. When the waiter saw how bad the lobster was he agreed to give me something else. In the past, the Maitre'D would have visted the table with a personal apology. But in today's Carnival, the level of service has been watered down to such an extent that is no longer expected. When I asked to speak to to the Maitre'D, the request fell on deaf ears - but the waiter assured me that he told the chef.

 

There was not a square yard of carpet anywhere on the ship that appeared to be clean. It was all stained and worn. In fact soft goods all around the ship were very worn and tired looking. This is a fairly new ship but Carnival’s lack of upkeep is plainly evident. I was excited to sail on a newer ship than what I had sailed in the past, but I was disappointed. I did notice a few rolls of carpet in the elevator lobbies on port days, so it seems that they’re working on that problem slowly but surely.

 

All in all, what seems to be a fairly bog-standard Carnival cruise just occurred. It’s time for me to move on, sadly. Carnival just isn’t for me anymore if this is their best product.

 

Perhaps it's my problem - I know what Carnival is capable of. This absolutely was not that.

[mz-s]

More thoughts as I unpack and think of it.

 

- The standard of service on Carnival used to be that for example on Lido, if you asked a crew member for something they would go get it for you. Or at least walk you over to it. Now they just point and mumble. If you ask for decent food, they staple a map to the McDonald's on Bay Street in Nassau to your Effy Shopping Guide.

 

- I only went to Comedy once, it was very full and the comedian was not particularly good. But small sample size.

 

-The cruise director and fun squad were nothing special. I remain flummoxed as to why these positions continue to exist on the modern cut-rate Carnival experience. Are they required by international treaty or something?

 

-Bar service in the casinos was good. The nonsmoking casino annex was an excellent innovation.

 

-Nobody cares if you smoke whatever you want, wherever you want on the ship as long as you don't smoke in the nonsmoking casino annex. That seems to be the only place where you absolutely will be told not to smoke.

 

-The standard on Carnival used to be that crew in guest areas all spoke English and never spoke any other language in guest areas. That is no longer the case. I heard a lot of other language chatter, and several crew who interacted directly with guests had a very poor command of the English language. It seems that Carnival is churning through their crew too quickly to have time to teach them English anymore.

 

-I went to the show Flick as I had not seen it before. One or two of the singers were good. The rest were not. It was basically the performers dancing and singing songs from the movies in front of a screen saver. I didn't feel like any of the costumes or dances went with the performance. Except Willy Wonka - but then they switched to more songs so you had Willy Wonka singing a totally unrelated song. And there was the "Flick" character who seriously looked like a lost cruiser who wandered onstage. Seriously bizarre. The star of the show was trying to figure out how they aimed the fans to keep the scarf blowing around.

 

I would love to hear from others who were on this cruise, what are your thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with the points I raised.

[pcvtmom]

I'm sorry your experience was so negative. I've cruised with Carnival 33 times, on multiple ships, from many different ports (including Norfolk). I've yet to experience any of the things you describe.

 

Thank you for the information on the parking area you used. I bookmarked it, so we can use it on our next sailing from Norfolk.  Their recommended parking area is not my favorite!

[firefly333]

I didnt know you were only supposed to take 2 slices. I've always asked for a double portion and gotten it. I don't remember any scowls. I do expect to spend more on pay restaurants on my upcoming carnival cruise. 

[ninjacat123]

I remember seeing "Flick" and thought the wandering character was kind of odd as well.  The worst MDR food I had was on MG, Oct 2021 and I figured it was because it was right after Restart.  Seven cruises after that, I've thought the MDR was fine.  On Sunshine, May 2023, the chef came out the last night and asked about our dining experience. On Magic, Jan 2023, a crew member saw me trying to open the door to take food from Lido breakfast outside.  He took the food from me and walked me to where I wanted to go.

Sorry this cruise was not good for you.  I'm hoping my Pride cruise out of Rome is good, but really I'm there for the ports.  I'm going to try to do a LIVE review for the first time, which will be interesting😉

[mz-s]

49 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I didnt know you were only supposed to take 2 slices. I've always asked for a double portion and gotten it. I don't remember any scowls. I do expect to spend more on pay restaurants on my upcoming carnival cruise. 

I just laughed when the crew member tried to shake that third slice off the tongs several times before relenting. I felt like I had gotten away with something that day. 

[pe4all]

We have sailed on Magic a few times out of Miami and NY- the last being this past January.  Looking forward to being on her again this coming January.  Hope our experience will be better than yours. Love the non-smoking casino annex. Yes, the cabin stewards on all the ships are definitely over-loaded with cabins to clean.   I do agree with you as to the CCL cake (icing) being like lumps of lard.  Could never stomach them since the restart.  Saves me a lot of calories though!

[mz-s]

54 minutes ago, pe4all said:

We have sailed on Magic a few times out of Miami and NY- the last being this past January.  Looking forward to being on her again this coming January.  Hope our experience will be better than yours. Love the non-smoking casino annex. Yes, the cabin stewards on all the ships are definitely over-loaded with cabins to clean.   I do agree with you as to the CCL cake (icing) being like lumps of lard.  Could never stomach them since the restart.  Saves me a lot of calories though!

 

I think if Carnival reversed all their food cutbacks they'd be in good shape. Fundamentally the rest of the gripes are fairly minor, but on a cruise food is paramount because it's not like you can just drive downtown for take out. Get the food back to the pre-COVID standard tomorrow and the rest can be worked on as time goes on.

Edited September 10, 2023 by mz-s

[CyrusJones]

We just returned from the Magic. September 10-16. I also parked at the asphalt lots and would highly recommend them.  Our service and experience was probably vastly different from yours as around 1,000 guests canceled due to the hurricane and itinerary change.

The only disappointment we had was dinner.  We only went to the MDR 2 nights because we have 3 kids and they didn't like most of the menu items. We were disappointed to find that the buffet on the lido was mostly the night befores MDR menu or even that night's on occasion.  Wish they would offer maybe some corn, mashed potatoes, chicken strips, or something more common on the lido buffet. 

Other than those food options we had a great time on the magic. The mini golf and some of the kids activities were better than some of the others we've been on. Also, getting on and off the ship in Norfolk was smooth.  

 

[mz-s]

On 9/17/2023 at 11:15 PM, CyrusJones said:

We just returned from the Magic. September 10-16. I also parked at the asphalt lots and would highly recommend them.  Our service and experience was probably vastly different from yours as around 1,000 guests canceled due to the hurricane and itinerary change.

The only disappointment we had was dinner.  We only went to the MDR 2 nights because we have 3 kids and they didn't like most of the menu items. We were disappointed to find that the buffet on the lido was mostly the night befores MDR menu or even that night's on occasion.  Wish they would offer maybe some corn, mashed potatoes, chicken strips, or something more common on the lido buffet. 

Other than those food options we had a great time on the magic. The mini golf and some of the kids activities were better than some of the others we've been on. Also, getting on and off the ship in Norfolk was smooth.  

 

 

Yes Norfolk has done a great job. I hope to sail out of there again - and will absolutely be using Asphalt Lots as well.

 

Those menu items are available in the MDR on the kids menu, FYI. And yes - anybody can order from the kids menu.

 

You were getting on the ship as I was getting off. Some cruisers on my sailing were planning a B2B but I don't know if they ended up doing that or cancelling. Frankly I probably would have cancelled although I don't know what compensation Carnival offered to folks who decided to cruise, obviously it's not Carnival's fault but it's tough to come up with anything comparable to Bermuda.

Edited September 22, 2023 by mz-s

[icft]

The fact Carnival still rations bacon tells you all you need to know about their food. Too cheap to pay for good quality. The original excuse about supply chain issues no longer holds water; they just are not willing to pay for bacon every day or quality food ingredients in general. And yes, they want you to pay for specialty restaurants.

[CyrusJones]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

Yes Norfolk has done a great job. I hope to sail out of there again - and will absolutely be using Asphalt Lots as well.

 

Those menu items are available in the MDR on the kids menu, FYI. And yes - anybody can order from the kids menu.

 

You were getting on the ship as I was getting off. Some cruisers on my sailing were planning a B2B but I don't know if they ended up doing that or cancelling. Frankly I probably would have cancelled although I don't know what compensation Carnival offered to folks who decided to cruise, obviously it's not Carnival's fault but it's tough to come up with anything comparable to Bermuda.

 

Had no idea there was a kids menu. Been on 3 cruises and never seen it lol.

 

I had heard that Carnival gave 75% to people who canceled. Idk if that was toward a future cruise or cash back.

We did get $200 OBC per room and I think maybe $66 per person for the change in Port fees.

 

We didn't get off the boat in Nassau but did in Freeport.  Ended up renting a car and drove about 30 minutes to Gold Rock Beach.  I wish we had more time there. It was better than Half Moon Cay with about 10 people on the beach. I would go back to Freeport just for that in a heartbeat.

 

The last day on the ship was rough. We followed the hurricane back up toward Norfolk. Barely got out of my room. Captain said 12 foot seas. It didn't ruin the trip though.  At least I wasn't at work.

 

I only remember seeing bacon on the lido breakfast one day of the six. Could've missed another as I at at the taco place for breakfast twice, but don't remember the kids having it when I didn't. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by CyrusJones

[Knights on the Beach]

1 hour ago, icft said:

The fact Carnival still rations bacon tells you all you need to know about their food. Too cheap to pay for good quality. The original excuse about supply chain issues no longer holds water; they just are not willing to pay for bacon every day or quality food ingredients in general. And yes, they want you to pay for specialty restaurants.

 

I don't understand this at all. Last time we were on Mardi Gras (December), there were no bacon guards and I got myself a few slices on my way back from Big Chicken. 🤷‍♀️

[mz-s]

22 hours ago, CyrusJones said:

 

Had no idea there was a kids menu. Been on 3 cruises and never seen it lol.

 

I had heard that Carnival gave 75% to people who canceled. Idk if that was toward a future cruise or cash back.

We did get $200 OBC per room and I think maybe $66 per person for the change in Port fees.

 

We didn't get off the boat in Nassau but did in Freeport.  Ended up renting a car and drove about 30 minutes to Gold Rock Beach.  I wish we had more time there. It was better than Half Moon Cay with about 10 people on the beach. I would go back to Freeport just for that in a heartbeat.

 

The last day on the ship was rough. We followed the hurricane back up toward Norfolk. Barely got out of my room. Captain said 12 foot seas. It didn't ruin the trip though.  At least I wasn't at work.

 

I only remember seeing bacon on the lido breakfast one day of the six. Could've missed another as I at at the taco place for breakfast twice, but don't remember the kids having it when I didn't. 

 

If you google carnival mdr kids menu, you'll find it. It's the same every night, it's fairly basic stuff.

 

I've never rented a car in any cruise stops! That's something I'd like to do actually. Neat idea!

 

I think Gold Rock Beach is fairly close to the new Grand Celebration Key resort area that Carnival is building on the island.