My family went on the Magic that sailed November 15. There were 9 of us in the group - my wife and I, our two children (11 & 8), my brother, my parents, and my in-laws. Our group was very diverse. This was the first cruise for some, the fifth or sixth cruise for others, and the thirty-seventh cruise for others. All of us had a fantastic time and enjoyed our cruise very much.
We all had inside staterooms. The staterooms are small and cramped just like every cruise line, but none of us went on the cruise to hang out in a stateroom. Basically, the room was a place to sleep, change clothes, shower, and store our gear. The beds were fine, the water was hot, and everything was clean. My kids loved the nightly towel animals. The TV stations were limited and the movies were second-rate...but again, we didn't go on the cruise to watch TV.
The ship had plenty of activities for everyone in our group. The waterslides, pools, mini-golf, and ropes course were all a hit with our group. The pools are saltwater which might bother some people, but there are freshwater showers located throughout the decks where you can rinse off. The waterslides are fast and fun! The only negative experience in the pool area was with another guest who complained to my children as they jumped in the pool. I understand her point that the rules do say not to jump in, but this same guest had been laughing earlier in the day when another guest tried to get her wet doing a cannonball. If you don't want to swim with kids, Carnival Magic is probably not the ship for you.