Live B2B2B2B From the Carnival Magic 11/26-12/22

[jam19872016]

Good morning.

 

Bout to head to the meeting point and bid farewell to the Magic. My last night onboard was unfortunately a restless one and I am dragging pretty badly this morning.

[jam19872016]

On 12/21/2023 at 3:15 AM, exlondoner said:

Looks cracked to me. And, if one worries about these things, a health hazard. Shouldn’t be out.

 

23 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

I’m not a very picky Carnival cruiser but yeah, it looks clearly imperfect and what’s the point of the fanciness if it’s all tired and beat up?

 

I have not followed a review on Excel class lately but Rudi’s seagrill (which of course I would never pay for an upgrade meal like that) has or had these gorgeous dishes with starfish points and by about the 5th sailing of Mardi gras they all had points broken off already. Eminently impractical regardless of the elevated experience they’re trying to provide. 
 

I’d prefer to do simple very well rather than over promise and under deliver.

I didn't use it. I tried go zoom in I can't tell if that is a crack or not but maybe. I don't think M used anything but the salt not that that makes it better for the next person.

 

When I sailed Celebration they had already removed the fancy starfish plates.

[jam19872016]

Checked one last time to see if the mobile bar got turned in. Somehow the guest services agent is grumpier this morning than me.

 

Just waiting on clearance to disembark. 

[jam19872016]

23 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

@jam19872016 it’s getting time to ask the obvious questions. As someone who likely will never be in a position to do 4 b2bs on a single ship I gotta know.

 

 

All good questions. I will answer once I can sit down at my computer and type out my thoughts.

[jam19872016]

22 hours ago, chryso said:

Perhaps it's just me but the salt and pepper shakers look very, ummm, sexual.

When they took them away the placed them inside each other 😱 

 

22 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

You should have a hot dog with that ketchup roll.   lol

Ooops, squeezed that bottle harder than I needed to 😆 

[jam19872016]

18 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Yeah I was kinda like “hey get up, it’s your last full day and you don’t wanna miss it!”

My last day is almost always a lost cause.

 

9 hours ago, tradewinds traveler said:

I enjoyed everyday with you on your cruise. Thanking you!

Thank you!

[DeanDeeDee]

Thanks for taking us along.  I really enjoyed.  Hope everything goes smoothly today.

[princess76021]

Safe drive home!  Thanks for taking us along!!

 

I'll put the "button" on ice for a while!

 

enjoyed your cruise, thanks again

 

hugs from Texas

[jam19872016]

1 hour ago, DeanDeeDee said:

Thanks for taking us along.  I really enjoyed.  Hope everything goes smoothly today.

 

1 hour ago, princess76021 said:

Safe drive home!  Thanks for taking us along!!

 

I'll put the "button" on ice for a while!

 

enjoyed your cruise, thanks again

 

hugs from Texas

Thanks had a nice easy ride home. I even managed to not get turned around even once before making it onto 95.

[Cscomedygrl]

Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts. Thanks for sharing your time onboard with us! 

[exlondoner]

19 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

I've got my alarm set for oh dark thirty in the morning. Diamond walk off is at 6:45 so I want to take advantage of that. The only key to a smooth exit in Miami, is to get out before 20k others while another 20k are incoming. Add in workday traffic since it is a Friday, and tomorrow is something I just want to get through ASAP. 

 

Add to that I am working until 5am Saturday morning which is a shift I have not worked in years. I can't remember the last time I worked those kind of hours, its going to brutal so I need to get as much rest tonight as possible and try to get home early so maybe I can catch a little nap. 

 

After 26 days, I don't feel like I am missing anything by wrapping up early tonight. 

 

Thanks for following along and I will get this thing wrapped up quicker than I did the last one I promise 😄

Are you sufficiently senior to have a choice in your working hours or do you have to do what you are told and look grateful?

[Funsince1983]

22 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

I've got my alarm set for oh dark thirty in the morning. Diamond walk off is at 6:45 so I want to take advantage of that. The only key to a smooth exit in Miami, is to get out before 20k others while another 20k are incoming. Add in workday traffic since it is a Friday, and tomorrow is something I just want to get through ASAP. 

 

Add to that I am working until 5am Saturday morning which is a shift I have not worked in years. I can't remember the last time I worked those kind of hours, its going to brutal so I need to get as much rest tonight as possible and try to get home early so maybe I can catch a little nap. 

 

After 26 days, I don't feel like I am missing anything by wrapping up early tonight. 

 

Thanks for following along and I will get this thing wrapped up quicker than I did the last one I promise 😄

Woof. What do you that you're working till 5am?

[lazydayz]

Hope you are recovered from that overnight shift!

[jam19872016]

On 12/21/2023 at 7:55 AM, KmomChicago said:

@jam19872016 it’s getting time to ask the obvious questions. As someone who likely will never be in a position to do 4 b2bs on a single ship I gotta know.

 

1. Are you getting bored? There’s plenty of big boats sailing weekends from Miami. You could have substituted another line or ship at some point or, probably each week. But all Carnival Magic. The only ships I ever really wished to stay on more days, after the planned 7 came to their tragic and inevitable ends, were Oasis of the Seas and new Mardi Gras. Never had a bad cruise, but I tend to cover all the ground in the duration provided and then after that, I am not a repeater by nature as variety is the spice, as they say.

I would not say I got bored from being on the ship for that long. I would say the entertainment options were light on the ship from the start. I booked these over a year out when my priority was quantity over quality, these were all dirt cheap casino offers and they lined up in a row so I took them. I have usually found that after that long on a ship, you form a bond with many of the crew. I did not get that here. I always enjoy my time on the ships, so do not find myself bored of them after a week and could happily repeat the same ship many times. If I did not have to "make it count" so to speak, I think I would prefer the variety too. There are people I know that take one trip a year, and keep booking the same three day Bahamas trip each time often on the same trip. Another who books the same four day trip to Cozumel every 3-4 years, again same ship. That puzzles me. 

 

The priority is shifting more towards quality, but only slightly. By quality I mean better itineraries like more TAs or exotic trips out of the Caribbean, I will always be an inside cabin kinda guy 🙂

 

 

This was actually a longer trip to begin with, I was going to follow with a Christmas b2b on Conquest for 7 days, followed by 10 days NYE cruise on MSC Magnifica, followed by 10 more days on Celebrity Summit. The middle two fell through ($$) so I have some time in dry dock before joining the Summit. 

 

On 12/21/2023 at 7:55 AM, KmomChicago said:

 

2. Even so, it seems the vibe changed a bit week to week based on the passengers. Is that accurate? How much difference did that make?

The vibe is always different week to week I have found on any B2B. Weeks 1 and 4 were mostly people looking to have a good time. Mostly blue cards, but overall just a crowd looking to have a good time. The kid quota was higher than I would have liked, but they did ok at behaving for the most part.

 

Week 2 was the eight day cruise, and the Platinum and Diamond (platinum especially) count was high and as a result the dining room was hard to get into like you would expect on a Journey's cruise. 

 

Week 3 was the week things got a little rough. The funny smells around the ship were more frequent. I took a picture twice of people lighting up things they should not be lighting up, but I never did find security nearby in those instances. They stay parked outside the kids club's at all times, I think it would be a good idea to park outside the smoking areas. Still, there were no fights, no acts of unruliness that impacted me, just a bit rougher crowd that I had seen the other weeks of the cruise. The dining room was a ghost town, meanwhile the buffet line stretched halfway across the deck. 

 

On 12/21/2023 at 7:55 AM, KmomChicago said:

 

3. Did you ever say, why am I still on this ship instead of doing something else like going home or a completely different kind of travel this week? 

 

I got pretty frustrated at the start of week 2. Between the issues I had getting back onto the wifi, my room not being ready for me, and then me thinking I lost my charger, I was ready to call it quits. But not in a serious way, more like a temper tantrum kind of way.

 

On 12/21/2023 at 7:55 AM, KmomChicago said:

4. The weather and sea conditions have been bad; it’s been in the news and this week an MSC Bahamas cruise from NY went to New England / Canada - in December!!  How bothersome has the weather been and would you do this again this time of year? 
 

I always tell people who are nervous to book during hurricane season, that it is the best time if sea conditions are their concern. January and February (and looks like December this year) are notoriously rough months to sail. There is almost always a low pressure system of some sort to sail through during these winter months. Outside of the rare hurricane, the sea is pretty calm during the warmer months.

 

I would not hesitate to book during this time of year again. 

 

The issue MSC had is a perfect example of the catch 22 the cruise lines are in. They took a lot of heat for the rerouted cruise, which pax had the opportunity to cancel for a full refund if I am not mistaken. Meanwhile, at the very same time Venezia sailed into the storm to keep their itinerary and was met with criticism for doing so instead of altering course. No matter what they chose to do, both lines got blasted for not picking the alternative. Having been on Freedom in September that kept it's Eastern Caribbean itinerary when Royal went Western, I wish we had choose Western as that was not a fun ride at all. But then, someone else would be upset about Cozumel instead of Grand Turk.

 

On 12/21/2023 at 7:55 AM, KmomChicago said:

5. Are you tired of the food?

No. Carnival may not always have the best food, but the variety of food options is where they truly excel.

[jam19872016]

On 12/22/2023 at 11:31 AM, Cscomedygrl said:

Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts. Thanks for sharing your time onboard with us! 

Thank you! Got those final thoughts coming up next 🙂

 

On 12/22/2023 at 4:08 PM, exlondoner said:

Are you sufficiently senior to have a choice in your working hours or do you have to do what you are told and look grateful?

Senior enough to take a month off for a cruise, but smart enough to take a crappy shift without complaining upon my return 😄

 

 

[jam19872016]

On 12/22/2023 at 6:53 PM, Funsince1983 said:

Woof. What do you that you're working till 5am?

In addition to being self employed, my friend owns a business and I help her out when I am not sailing.

 

On 12/24/2023 at 11:23 AM, lazydayz said:

Hope you are recovered from that overnight shift!

My sleep schedule was already messed up but that did not do me any favors 😄

[jam19872016]

Final Thoughts:

 

Dining:

 

I read many reviews leading up to this cruise about the food on Magic and how poor the quality was. I always take reviews with a grain of salt, but when there is a trend towards many reviews saying the same thing, you do tend to worry that the complaints are accurate. I am happy to say that I found the food overall to be very good.

 

Mdr: The MDR was the big hit of the trip with new dinner menus created in partnership with Emeril. I found almost everything I ordered to be very good and I appreciated the fresh menu options after having the same set of menus for the most part for the past seven years of Carnival cruises.

I did not try breakfast here. I did one brunch, and while it was fine, I think I am pretty much over brunch. The menu has taken too many hits and isn't really all that special anymore. Maybe Emeril needs to revamp this one too? I also don't appreciate the tendency to be assigned a share table when I request a private table. This has happened across many ships. My brunch was perfectly fine on Magic, I just think I am over the concept in general.

 

I tried Cucina and Farenheight 555 (it may be branded something different on here) and enjoyed them both especially the steakhouse. I think both have been pushed up to a price point that is too high to justify but for a special occasion they are both great options. I would just recommend staying away from the short rib at Cucina. And perhaps check your pepper shaker for cracks 🙂

 

I did not try Bonsai Sushi, Seafood Shack, or Chef's Table (at $119!!).

 

Red Frog no longer serves food.

 

They have many wonderful causal lunch options available which is where Carnival really excels against the competition in my opinion. 

 

Blue Iguana was a hit, although I found the portions being severely rationed by most of the servers. I simply learned to ask for extra. They also would not make fresh eggs to order. Not sure if that is fleet wide now or just this ship.

 

Guy's I only tried once. Mostly because I try to limit myself but I was also not impressed with my trip here. I have never minded the new fries but this batch was pretty bad. The seasoning on the fries was not enough to mask how truly awful the potatoes were. The burger was dry. I heard someone else saying the burger was something they looked forward to every day on their last cruise but these were off. Of course I am sure anyone still enjoying it was not walking around talking about how much they still loved it, so that is not a fair data point but I did not want to include that I was not the only one who felt the burger wasn't quite right.

 

Mongolian Wok was one of the best lunches on the ship. The line was usually quite long. They did have 6 Woks in operation where Freedom had only 4, but I think that just meant more people would brave the line without turning away as the line was never any shorter than it was on Freedom despite the wok to passenger ratio being better on here.

 

The deli had a terrible setup which led to mass confusion and no clear line but everything I got from there was good, except the fries. Seriously these fries are really bad and they have eliminated the dipping sauces they used to have available. There was not enough ketchup in the world to save these fries. 

 

The pizza was decent enough every time I got it but one. I got a truly bad batch of pizza one night, but thankfully every time before and after was good enough. The line is a massive improvement. I was reading an old review of mine where I was happy to have made it through the line in under 30 minutes. What an improvement as I never waited more than 17 minutes and usually under 10 minutes. 

 

The late night buffet was also good and it varied through I want to say maybe three different menus. It's good for a late night snack don't expect gourmet, but it was good especially the ketchup flavored roll 🙂

 

 

The BBQ was good two out of the three times I went there. That third time M thought it was good, and she almost never enjoys any of the food on cruises so maybe it was me that day. 

 

The best option for me was the pasta bar upstairs above Lido for lunch. Made to order pasta in a quieter spot than downstairs, yummy! I found myself here most days for lunch it was so good!

 

The buffet was ok by Carnival standards. It is what it is. Not expansive, but the items I did try were good. The cakes have taken a hit which is ashame as it was something I always looked forward to. Now most of them are in pre sliced squares and not very good.

 

Overall, the food was a success even after 26 days I never found myself bored with the choices that Carnival Magic had to offer.
 

[jam19872016]

Public Spaces and Cabin:

 

The Magic is the last Carnival ship to be designed by Joe Farcus. I have always enjoyed his over the top taste in décor and this one is one of my favorites. It's not particularly over the top (other than the green eyeballs in the atrium) but I love the color green and it is prominent all over the ship. It was especially pretty alongside the Christmas decorations. 

 

I found the ship to be very clean and in great condition still for her age. I was surprised to see carpets throughout the ship being replaced but deck by deck they were ripped up late at night (that was fun navigating at 1am after abusing my mobile bar 😮 ) and replaced with brand new carpeting. I did not notice any furnshings throughout the ship that were looking worn down with two exceptions.

 

The first was in the staterooms. I had three different rooms, and they all had some wear and tear to them. Minor issues, nothing that I think most people would notice, but they were there.

 

The other was a little more glaring. The deck loungers throughout the ship were all in desperate need of replacing. They had seen better days and it was not one or two, it was pretty much every chair on the ship.

 

Oh, one other minor thing, many of the automatic doors were out of order for periods of time and a few remained out of order for the entire 26 days. If it had been one or two I don't think I would have even noticed, but there were a lot of them that seemed to be needing repaired quite often.

 

Entertainment:

There are a lot of great things I could say about the entertainment on the Magic, so I will start with those. The playlist cast was possibly one of the best I have ever seen on Carnival. Very talented group of performers and they were down a performer who injured himself recently. 

 

Piano Bar Entertainer Rodney was really good at entertaining and keeping a lively crowd each night!

 

I also enjoyed the Rockband, the solo guitarist, and the duo. I'm afraid their names escape me but for some reason I feel like the guitarist was Alex Mel. That sounds right in my head. 

 

The comedy shows were never hard to get into.

 

Mike's Quest was the best I have ever been to.

 

Momo on the Fun Squad was hilarious and I think she would make a great CD. I would love to see her in the role on a future cruise.

 

The nightclub was small, but I think that worked out as it was hard to sit in the corner and be a spectator. You are pretty much forced to be on the floor in the middle of the action as it is a very small space. There was always a good crowd for it too compared to my recent Journey's cruises.

 

Now the negative.

 

The entertainment schedule was not well thought out. There was one night each week where after 10 the only things going on were Latin dancing at Ocean Plaza, and Latin music at the nightclub. When the Piano Bar was closed, it was especially noticeable as there was often only one thing going on that interested me. Sometimes nothing. I am thankful it did not stay closed long.

 

The comedy was not full, but there was one PG and one R show a night, that repeated. Some nights there was only one R show and no repeat. I seem to recall there used to be the occasional repeat, but at least two unique R shows a night usually by both comedians. On the last leg of the trip, the second comedian did not make the ship because of the weather, and we did not have comedy instead of the other performer doing an extra show. I know they have more material than one show. That sounds like Carnival was only willing to pay for her to perform the one show, plus the big show in the theater. I suppose this is better because like I said, there was never an issue getting into the comedy club which is nice.

 

I wish there had been more Silent Disco. It was only held on the 8 night so in 26 nights, there was one Silent Disco. By contrast, I just did a four night cruise on Celeberty where they held Silent Disco....8 times. Four family events, and four adult events. I don't need that much, but it is always so well attended that I am not sure why it was not done more on here.

 

The Piano Bar closed between 12-12:15 every night. I have always found this odd on Carnival (they stay open until 1am most nights on Royal) but there is not usually still a crowd going. Rodney had a good crowd most every night and in fact the last night, when he gave last call it was still standing room only. He did another three or four songs that he kept saying was the last song and during this time, it did clear out some but was still a packed room. He actually got up in the middle of a song and ran into the service pantry and did not return. I don't really fault him for that, we were not making it easy for him to leave, but I don't understand a venue that does not have a published closing time, closing that early with a full crowd. The only other performer that I recall holding a crowd that late was Eden, and I don't think he closed down that early but I could be wrong. The one's on Royal have a published end time (1AM most nights although sometimes as early as 12:30) but they are not usually nearly as entertaining as the one's Carnival employs.

 

I would say the Entertainment was the weakest link on the Magic.

 

Service:

 

Service was another miss I'm afraid to say. Nothing was ever BAD per se, but with a few exceptions, nobody ever brought that amazing Carnival level of service that I have grown accustomed to and received for over a month on Carnival Freedom. 

 

Two out three room stewards did the absolute bare minimum. I saw each of them twice during my time in their rooms. The third was much better. Room ready for me, bed in the right position, always in the hall with a friendly greeting and quick chat. The only thing that kept him from getting a perfect ten....when I was looking for my mobile bar I started looking in random places. Like under my bed. There was a sock under there that was not mine, I checked under the bed again on my last day and it was still living there. I wonder how long it has been there? I wonder how long it will live there?

 

Dining room was a mess. There would be long waits to get in, and when you did make it in, you were staring at a third empty dining room. They are not seating to capacity which has to be a result of either an understaffed dining room, kitchen, or both. If I wasn't trying out the new menus, I would not have stuck it out for 26 days in this dining room. Once I did get in, the service was usually slow with long wait times in-between courses. 

 

Service in Cucina and the steakhouse were both top notch.

 

Dianne at JavaBlue was the real shining star of the trip! She was always running her tail off keeping up with the busy coffee line and always did so with the biggest smile on her face and always remembered everyone's order. She was a real treat. 

 

Again nothing bad, service was just a little "off".
 

[jam19872016]

Overall:

 

That is how I would describe this cruise, a little "off". There was nothing wrong with it, but it did not feel like they were bringing their "A" game in any aspect of the trip. Just kind of going through the motions. I could give examples, but individually they sound petty, and collectively they would be a rant not worth reading. I had been so happy with my trip on the Freedom, both in January and my recent Transatlantic crossing. It reminded me of what I fell in love with on Carnival. Things that I was not seeing in 2022. I have not booked a trip on Carnival since 2022, these were all booked back when they were practically giving away cruises. I don't know where things stand at this point. 

 

Carnival is doing just fine without me, but I think it is time for a short break. Both to put things into perspective, absence makes the heart grow fonder and focus less on things like pre made omelets and sliced up cakes. But for right now, those things do matter and whether they should or not, at this time they do and I never want to be one of those people dissatisfied with something but who continues to sail and then whine and moan about every little thing.

 

It's not forever, and there are certainly still some itineraries that I am looking at. They are mostly Journey's cruises. Both the round trip TAs in 2025 are high on my wish list. One is on Valor out of NOLA, and the other on Mardi Gras from Port. Canaveral. The repositioning of Venezia from New York to Florida is another one that interests me. 

 

Now that Vista is in Port Canaveral, I would like to do that sometime too, but I am not sure if I would enjoy how crowded it will be. Magic really pushed my boundries for personal space, and I know it will be even worse on Vista. Still, I LOVE JiJi's and would seriously book a cruise just to be on a ship with that restaurant 😛

 

Thanks everyone for following along for another review! If there was anything I forgot to cover or anything I did not talk about that you would like to know, feel free to ask away and I will do my best.

[princess76021]

Please give us a link when you're ready to take us on another cruise!

Hope you are having a great holiday season!

Hugs from Texas

[SenatorsFan]

I think your wrap up is fair and balanced. I like to read about both the good and the not-as-good. Thanks for taking us on these cruises. Happy New Year!

[Cscomedygrl]

Thanks for the wrap!

[pe4all]

Great ending to your review.  We enjoy the Magic, and look forward to boarding her in 4 weeks.  Magic is the largest ship I think I will go on again - Horizon really pushed my "people-boundaries" and it was only 60% full when we covid-sailed on her.  (even with having Havana to hang out in). Wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year!

[#55worktoplay]

Thanks for your review it was great to follow. 
 

I hope M came out ahead in the casino, she had some serious $$ showing on that FireLink game. If I had that kind of cash I would cash out take starting amount out and the rest in the safe. However, I am not a 50.00 per spin better so I would not see those kind winnings. 
 

When’s your next cruise?

[Jeafl]

Having just got off the Magic 2 weeks before you got on, I would have to agree with just about everything you posted.  There was nothing horrible, but nothing spectacular either.  Your piano player sounded far better than ours, though.

 

Your comment about the loungers was spot on.  We actually saw  a rather large man go right through it one day.  Luckily he wasn't injured but he was pretty embarrassed.  Other than that we thought the ship was in pretty good shape for how old it is.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do the review.  It was a real pleasure to read.  🙂