This was my first cruise, in what will hopefully be one of many. I traveled with a family group of 8.

To start off, the embarkation onto the boat was flawless. Even though it has been noted that you could not board until 11:30, we had made the mistake of booking a cab too early (or so we thought) and arrived at the port an hour early. I was chagrined to see lines upon lines of people everywhere - waiting for taxis, hanging outside of the port building, looking miserable. To my delight, we got out of our taxi, was immediately met by a porter who whisked our luggage away and we were ushered into the modern, immaculate building. I later learned that I would be one of the huddled masses looking for a way out of the port at the end of the trip. Check in was a breeze, and anticipating having to wait around in the port building before we'd be allowed on the Carnival Magic, we were instead welcomed upon the boat and invited to start strapping on the feed bag immediately. That was my introduction to cruising, and it was a heady delight, that spread out before me was a magnificent buffet and it was mine for the taking. Sitting out on the Lido deck, gazing out into the ocean, dining al fresco, having my dishes whisked away the second I was done with them....amazing. That was the type of moment you'll always remember on your first cruise.

Now, for exploring the boat. How bizarre it was remember that this was a brand new boat, only having a few other sailings before mine. I was somewhat chagrined to see that many things already appeared worn (wooden steps, some furniture) or dirty (windows, carpets). I've read in other reviews that Carnival ships usually lean towards a "cheesy" design, and I would wholeheartedly agree. I was expecting things on a grand, modern scale, but that was absolutely not the case. I felt much of the decor was straight out of the 70's, and not in a good way. The only area I felt had a sleek, interesting design was the Spa area, which was beautiful - aqua glass, ocean colored tiles, soothing colors, muted patterns. Otherwise, it was boring beige-ness, hideous carpets, fixtures and lightings that seemed dated already. For the number of people on the boat, it seemed that there should be more actual pool as well, for once the ship was full, you had to cram yourself in for some swim time...forget about swimming laps or having any space. And really, unless you are like the other passengers and hog a deck chair with your personal belongings though you may be decks away and have no intention of returning to it any time soon, you'll find that having a area to sit can be difficult to come by. That infuriated me time and time again that people were no where to be found, but towels,books, etc. were always strewn over the chairs, "holding them" but remained empty for hours at a time. That held true for the adult area, the waterslide area and the pool areas. Read more