My wife and I just returned from our 9th cruise. We have taken prior cruises on Princess, Celebrity, NCL and Carnival. We sailed on the Carnival Magic out of Galveston last week, March 4th thru 11th. We came away from the cruise very diasppointed and questioning some of the descisions and changes Carnival has made to its ships and services. Food, service, friendliness and convenience have all taken a step back in our opinion from our traditional Carnival experience.

First - Embarkation in Galveston. Why is this the only Cruise line that cannot get this process fixed. We were subjected to long lines and a process that seems like it could be more efficient if it was addressed. It certainly makes you look forward to getting on the ship just by getting to the end of the line and thru customs.

The ship is big and decorated very nicely. We arrived at our cabin (A deluxe oceanview 6M) and were happy with the size of the room and the dual bathrooms. Plently of room for storage and to put away your belongings so that they are not underfoot. Waited for our cabin attendant but she did not arrive so we headed out to see the ship and get something to eat. LIDO Marketplace seems to be where the buffet's are so we started there. Only one buffet line opened for all passengers coming aboard and the food choices were limited. We had to hurry because the buffet closes promply at 2:00pm and it was already 1:15pm. Wife got in the specialty buritto area with 4 other guests. 45 minutes later after I had finished eating she finally received her buritto. The food selections on the buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner were very limited and did not change on a daily basis - not what we were used to from other cruises. Also - the Buffet's are not open in the morning until 7:30am - so if you are looking for an early breakfast to watch the sunrise you are out of luck. The lines for the buffet were very unorganzied with both lines meeting in the middle of the buffet where there were additional items that you had to fight thru to get as you ran into people from the other direction. Same food pretty much all seven days. Read more